Publishing · server-powered
ISSN generator.
An ISSN (ISO 3297) is the 8-character identifier for serials: journals, magazines, newspapers, annuals. On a cover it appears as an EAN-13 barcode in the 977 prefix range, with an optional price variant and issue add-on, and this generator builds that full retail symbol from the bare ISSN. The check character is verified before anything renders, so a typo surfaces as a plain error instead of a wrong barcode.
Journals and magazines.
Standards-based quiet zones are always on. For production packaging, verify a printed sample with a barcode verifier.
Preview
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Valid ISSN input
An ISSN is two blocks of four: seven digits plus a check character that can be a digit or an uppercase X (the mod-11 value ten). The hyphen is optional, 0311-5518 and 03115518 both work, and the check character is verified either way. What gets drawn is not the raw ISSN but its retail form: an EAN-13 beginning 977, then the first seven digits of the ISSN, a 2-digit sequence variant (00 unless you set one), and a freshly computed EAN-13 check digit.
Two optional space-separated suffixes control the retail extras. The first is the 2-digit sequence variant encoded inside the main symbol, used when the price or edition changes: 0311-5518 03. The second adds the small EAN-2 supplement beside the symbol, typically the issue number: 0311-5518 00 17 encodes issue 17.
Working sample: 0311-5518 a genuine ISSN whose final character passes the mod-11 check
Where ISSN is used
- Cover barcodes for magazines and journals
- Price or edition changes via the 2-digit sequence variant
- Per-issue numbering with the small EAN-2 add-on
Common errors and how to fix them
- ISSN must be 8 or 9 characters including dash, in the format XXXX-XXXX
- The number is the wrong length. An ISSN is exactly seven digits plus one check character, with an optional hyphen in the middle; anything extra, like a variant or issue number, goes after a space instead. With the hyphen in place you may also drop the check character and the tool computes it.
- Incorrect ISSN check digit provided
- The eighth character fails the mod-11 check. Verify the ISSN on the masthead or at the ISSN Portal; a transposed pair of digits is the usual culprit.
- ISSN ninth character must be a number or the character X
- A lowercase x is not accepted as the check character. Capitalize it: 2434-561X renders, 2434-561x does not. The message says ninth because the hyphen counts as a character.
- ISSN first four characters must be numeral characters
- Letters or symbols are sitting in the first block. Only the final position may be a letter, and only X; the first seven characters must all be digits.
Size and printing
Newsstand covers get scanned at ordinary retail registers, so size the symbol like any EAN-13: 0.33 mm module width is the 100 percent standard, and GS1 permits down to 0.264 mm when cover space is tight. Choose 0.33 mm from the module width menu (the smaller 0.25 mm step sits below the EAN retail floor), keep the bar height on the 25 mm option, and remember the issue add-on widens the symbol, so leave clear space to its right on the layout. For print, export SVG or a 300 DPI PNG; the DPI control reaches 600 if prepress asks for more.
ISSN questions
How do I make a barcode from an ISSN?
Type the 8-character ISSN and the conversion happens for you: the ISSN check character is dropped, 977 is prepended, the 00 sequence variant is appended, and an EAN-13 check digit is computed. Add a space and two digits to change the variant, and a second pair for the issue add-on.
Why does a magazine barcode start with 977?
977 is the GS1 prefix reserved for serial publications, the same way 978 marks books. Scanners treat the result as an ordinary EAN-13, while the 977 range tells trading systems the item is a serial identified by an ISSN.
What is the small barcode next to the main one on a magazine?
That is an EAN-2 add-on, usually carrying the issue number so sales and returns can be tracked per issue. In this tool it is the second space-separated pair: 0311-5518 00 17 draws the main symbol plus a 17 supplement.
Can an ISSN end in X?
Yes. The check character is calculated mod-11, and when the result is ten it is written as X. Enter it in uppercase; the X never appears in the EAN-13 itself because the barcode only uses the first seven digits.