PDF417 Barcodes in LEADTOOLS

PDF417 is the most common 2D barcode, and can be used in a variety of applications including identification cards, shipping and inventory management systems. PDF417 offers more data storage than linear (1D) barcodes, up to 1,850 ASCII characters, and includes Error Correction Code (ECC) which allows error-free reading even when a symbol has been partially lost or destroyed.

Sample Barcode

Symbology
BarcodeSymbology.PDF417		PDF417 can be used in conjunction with GS1 linear barcodes to create composite barcodes.

Leadtools.Barcode support

Features

• Uses Error Correction Code (ECC) to reconstruct damaged barcode symbols

• Stores up to 1,850 ASCII characters

• Can be combined with GS1-128 to create Composite Code C (CC-C) barcodes

Composite PDF417 Barcodes

PDF417 can be used in conjunction with GS1-128 to create GS1 Composite Code C (CC-C) barcodes. A GS1 Composite barcode is a group of two barcodes, one linear and one 2-dimensional. The linear barcode symbol usually contains the primary data, while the 2D barcode contains related supplementary data such as expiration date and product weight. CC-C can encode up to 2,361 digits of alphanumeric data.

Writing PDF417

PDF417 is a multi-row barcode symbology with high storage capacity and error-correction capabilities. It can be read by linear barcode readers, laser scanners, and 2D barcode scanners. PDF417 barcodes can store 1,108 bytes, 1,850 text characters, or 2,710 digits. A barcode is made up of 3 to 90 rows stacked into columns.

Row Composition

• Leading quiet zone (the required minimum amount of white space before the barcode begins)
• Start pattern
• "Row left" codeword
• 1 to 30 data codewords
• "Row right" codeword
• Stop pattern
• Trailing quiet zone

Codeword Composition by Encoding Type

• 1.2 bytes when using Binary Encoding
• 2 characters when using Text Encoding
• 2.9 digits when using Numeric Encoding

Note

An alternative to PDF417 is MicroPDF417 which is derived closely from the PDF417 specifications. MicroPDF417 is designed for applications that require improved area efficiency without the maximum data capacity of PDF417. As a result it has a limited number symbol sizes with a fixed error correction.