Does the bar code of my book have to have a white background?

Can the bar code on a book cover have a colored background to match the rest of the cover?

We recommend that the bar code on your cover have a white background and have the retail price embedded.

Ingram and Baker & Taylor do not accept books with bar codes that do not have a white background. If they receive bar codes that won't scan, they'll either return the books or charge us (and we in turn pass those charges to you) to print and apply legible bar codes.