ISSN Magazine Barcodes

Turn your ISSN into a scannable barcode for your magazine, newspaper or journal. We’ll email it to you as a PDF, PNG, and SVG.

Do you have an ISSN?

Yes: order your barcode images below. Enter your ISSN at checkout, and we’ll email you your images.

No: you’ll need one first. In the UK, ISSNs are issued free of charge by the British Library. Once you have your number, come back here for the barcode.

Note: We don’t issue ISSNs. We provide the barcode image for the number you’ve been given.

  • ISSN Barcode Images

    – Your ISSN as a scannable EAN-13 barcode
    – Print-ready images in 3 formats (PDF, PNG & SVG)
    – Choose a standard barcode or one with an issue number

    Select your format from the drop-down, then enter your 8-digit ISSN at checkout. If you chose the issue number option, add the issue number too (for example, 02 for issue 2).

    Quantity    Price per image
    1 £ 15.00
    2 £ 12.50 each
    3 £ 10.00 each
    4 + £ 8.00 each
    10 + £ 6.00 each
    20 + £ 4.00 each
    50 + £ 2.00 each

     

    Select options

Which format do you need?

Standard (EAN-13): one barcode used on every issue. You only buy it once.

With issue number (EAN-13+2): adds a small two-digit code showing the issue number, so each issue needs its own barcode. A quarterly magazine would need four (01, 02, 03 and 04) and can reuse them the following year.

In the UK, the issue number format is most common. If you’re unsure, check with the shops or distributors you plan to sell through.

Is this the right barcode?

Magazines, newspapers and journals published on a repeating schedule need an ISSN barcode: order from this page.
Books and one-off publications need an ISBN instead: book barcodes.
Everything else needs an EAN or UPC: retail barcode packages.

Printing your barcode

Size: supplied at standard size. Check our dimensions guide before shrinking it.
Background: dark bars on a white or very light background, with clear space around the barcode.
Artwork: don’t print it over images, and avoid red or light-coloured bars.

Common questions

How many do I need? For the standard format, one per magazine title. For the issue number format, one for each issue number you use.

Do I need to register each issue? No. Barcode registration is optional, and you only need it once per title.

Will it work outside the UK? Yes. ISSN barcodes use the international EAN-13 format.

More answers are in our FAQ, our ISSN guide and this short video.