A barcode is a machine-readable representation of a unique number, allowing retailers to track product sales in their inventory system. It typically consists of dark ink on a light background, forming high and low reflectance patterns that are converted to binary digits. UPCs (12 digits) and EANs (13 digits) are common types of barcodes.

Over 20,000 happy Australian customers | 3m+ Barcodes in circulation | 10,000+ scans each day

Barcodes for Magazines

Do you need barcodes for magazines? Do have your ISSN number already?

Yes – If you already have an ISSN number for your magazine (or newspaper or other periodical publication), please proceed and purchase the barcode images for your ISSN number below.

No – If you don’t have an ISSN number, please obtain the ISSN numbers from the National Library of Australia. When you have your ISSN number, come back to us to order the barcode.

Australian ISSN Agency
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: (02) 6262 1213

Email: issn@nla.gov.au

The ISSN Agency hours are Monday to Friday between 10 am and 4 pm (closed on weekends and public holidays).

We provide standard GS1 format barcodes that can be used worldwide.

Let us know your ISSN number, the format you want (13-digit or 13+2), and whether you have any preferences for the digits in the code (e.g. the price code). See below for information about the 13 digit and 13+2 digit barcodes for magazines.

After you have your ISSN, come back to us to purchase your barcode images (using your ISSN to create your barcode). We will email your barcode to you in five different formats (eps, jpeg, pdf, tiff & BMP).

Purchase the barcode for your ISSN number:

ISSN Barcode Images

Select either a standard ISSN (for all issues) or an ISSN with a two-digit issue number (01 to 99) from the drop-down options below.

No Issue Number (all editions use same barcode)

Enter your 8-digit ISSN number(s) here in the format xxxx-xxxx OR as 977xxxxxxxxxx if you know the full number you want.

Examples: 1234-5670 or 9771234567003

With Issue Number (each edition has a different two-digit supplement from 01 to 99)

Enter your ISSN number(s) in the format xxxx-xxxx-yy where xxxx-xxxx is the ISSN and yy is the 2-digit supplement (01-52 for weekly, 01-12 for monthly).

Example: 1234-5678-01

Quantity Price per ISSN

1 $ 30

2 $ 25 each

3 $ 20 each

4-9 $ 15 each

10 – 19 $ 8 each

20 – 49 $ 5 each

50+ $ 2.50 each

Buy product This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Below are some of the magazines that we have created ISSN barcode images for:

How to use your ISSN barcode:

After receiving your order, we will use your ISSN number to make your 13-digit EAN barcode number which we will then use to create your high resolution (300dpi) barcode images.

You will receive an email containing your barcode images in 3 formats (jpeg, pdf, eps, BMP & tiff).

To use your barcode, choose the format that you prefer & insert the barcode image into the design for the cover of your magazine (before printing). When your retailers receive your magazine, they will enter the barcode number & product information into their system. After that, your barcode will be connected to your magazine on the retailer’s inventory system. Note – ISSN Numbers can be used worldwide

If you want your barcode to have a supplement number at the end (like in the example below), please let us know when making your order. The two-digit (or five-digit) supplement number at the end can be changed to represent different issues of the magazine.

“I had information about different options for ways to structure my codes (for serialized publications) but didnt really understand what I needed to do (the barcode system is complex and can be confusing!) so I contacted David with Questions prior to purchase. David responded quickly, was extremely helpful and gave the process clarity. I was also really impressed with the speed my order was processed. I highly recommend Barcodes Australia.” Nicole

“Thank you for your very speedy attention to my request for an ISSN image. It is greatly appreciated. I will most certainly remember your company in future.” Greg W