๐ ISSN Barcode Generator
Magazine ISSNs are sometimes printed as EAN-13 barcodes with a prefix of 977.
Enter the ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) assigned to a magazine, newspaper, or other periodical to validate its check digit and generate a barcode.
How to use
- Enter an ISSN (with or without the hyphen).
- The check digit is validated, and the barcode is shown if it's correct.
- Download the generated barcode as SVG or PNG.
How the calculation works
Generate a barcode (EAN-13) from an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number), the 8-digit number identifying magazines, newspapers, journals and other serials. Enter 7 digits and the 8th, the check digit, is calculated; enter 8 and it is verified. Check digit Multiply the first 7 digits by 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, add them up, and subtract the remainder after dividing by 11 from 11 (0 if 11, โXโ if 10). As a barcode, it becomes 13 digits: the serial prefix โ977โ, the seven ISSN digits, two digits for the issue or variant, and the EAN-13 check digit.
Worked example
โ0317847โ โ check digit 1 โ ISSN 0317-8471 0ร8 + 3ร7 + 1ร6 + 7ร5 + 8ร4 + 4ร3 + 7ร2 = 120 120 รท 11 leaves 10 โ 11 โ 10 = 1 The barcode takes the form 977-0317-847-00-? (00 being the supplementary code for the issue or variant).
Things to be aware of
- An ISSN belongs to a title and stays the same for every issue; issues are distinguished by the supplementary digits or an add-on barcode.
- In Japan, new ISSNs are issued by the National Diet Library.
- Many Japanese magazines print a periodical code (magazine JAN code) on the cover instead of an ISSN barcode.
FAQ
What is an ISSN?
An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an 8-digit international standard number used to identify periodicals such as magazines, newspapers, and journals โ the serials equivalent of a book's ISBN.
How is the check digit calculated?
Each of the first 7 digits is multiplied by a weight from 8 down to 2, the products are summed, and the check digit is 11 minus the remainder of that sum divided by 11 (using "X" if the result is 10).
How is this different from an ISBN barcode?
Like ISBNs, ISSNs are sometimes printed as EAN-13-based barcodes, but they use a separate numbering system and assigning authority. This tool performs ISSN-specific check digit validation.