Can I make library cards for fictional books

Yes. Every field in Card Catalog Generator is plain free text, so an invented title, an invented author and an invented call number print exactly as you type them. Nothing checks your book against a real catalog. The optional "Look up book details" button only searches Google Books, so for a made-up book you simply skip it and fill the fields by hand.

How do you fill in a card for a book that doesn't exist?

The trick is to give each field the kind of detail a real librarian would have written. Here is how the fields map to an imaginary book:

• Entry / Call Number: this prints top left, exactly as typed. Pick Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress if your fictional library follows real rules, or choose Custom / Your Own System and write something from your world, like "Restricted R-12" or "Tower Stacks 4".
• Author: use the Last, First order, the way cards have always listed names. "Marlowe, Ines" looks far more official than "Ines Marlowe".
• Title: keep it under a line or two. Long titles wrap and end in "..." when they run out of room.
• Publication Info: an invented city and year, such as "Port Veil, 1887". This line stays on one line and is not shortened, so keep it brief or it can run off the edge.
• Physical Description: pages and size, like "312 p. ; 20 cm". It is a small touch that makes a prop card feel real.
• Synopsis / Notes: the fun part. Write a summary, a warning, a stamp of "Missing since 1902", or a clue for players to find.

If you want a believable Dewey number for an invented subject, borrow a real class. A book of dragon lore could sit in 398 (folklore), and a fake ship's history could go in 387 (water transportation).

What makes a fictional card look right on screen or at the table?

Match the card to the era of your story. The Vintage Typewriter font on Aged Paper or Textured Aged Paper suits a dusty archive or an old manor library. Modern Serif on Clean White reads like a tidy present-day library, and Clean Sans works for a sleek future setting.

Size matters more than people expect. Downloads keep their true dimensions, so a 5x3 in card prints at 5 by 3 inches and sits at the right scale next to a real book. Turn on Show Hole Punch if the card will be photographed in a drawer, since real catalog cards had a hole near the bottom for the drawer rod.

For film, video or digital maps, choose the Transparent background and download a PNG. The text and lines then sit cleanly over your own artwork or footage.

Where do fictional library cards get used?

Writers keep cards for the books that exist inside their novels, which helps keep invented titles and authors consistent across chapters. Game masters hand players a card found in a ruined library, with the next clue tucked into the notes line. Escape rooms, theater productions and themed parties use them as set dressing. For more on building physical props, see our guide to realistic library card prop design.

One practical note: the generator makes one card at a time and saves nothing between visits. If you are building a whole fictional collection, keep your entries in a text file so you can paste them back in later.

Frequently asked questions

Will "Look up book details" find my made-up book?

No. It searches Google Books by title or ISBN, so it can only fill in real, published books. For fictional titles, type each field yourself.

Can I use my own invented classification system?

Yes. Choose Custom / Your Own System from the Classification System menu and type any code you like in the Entry / Call Number field. It prints exactly as written.

Can I make a full set of fictional cards in one go?

Not in one batch. The generator builds one card at a time, so you fill in the fields, download the PNG or PDF, then change the details for the next card.