PDF417

PDF417 (ISO/IEC 15438)

2D barcodeVariable length

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What is PDF417?

A stacked 2D barcode whose rows contain PDF417 codewords. Text, byte, and numeric compaction modes support large payloads, while selectable Reed–Solomon error correction improves damage tolerance.

How it is structured

Between 3 and 90 rows, start and stop patterns, left and right row indicators, and 1–30 data columns. Each codeword is 17 modules wide.

Where it is used

Driver licences, identity documents, boarding passes, transport, government forms, and shipping labels.

Primary specification

See ISO/IEC 15438 for the authoritative specification or publisher record.