Barcode 2D PDF417 Object

Barcode 2D PDF417 object is two-dimensional (2D), high-density, stacked symbology for encoding large amounts of data - text, numbers, files and actual data bytes. Usually up to one or two-hundred characters are encoded in a single symbol. Although 2D systems use a variety of symbols, they are generally referred to as barcodes as well.

PDF417 barcode is used in a variety of applications, primarily in transport, identification cards, and inventory management. Other areas of PDF417 barcode applications are: logistics, automotive industry, manufacturing part tracking, vehicle ID, transport systems (e.g. for shipping labels, Bills of Lading), identification (e.g. driver licenses, passports), Postal, Package Tracking, Manifests, Lotteries, Asset Tracking, Patient Bracelets, Medication, etc.

Because of large amount of data involved, in Label Mix PDF417 object uses built-in error correction to ensure better readability.

Barcode 2D PDF417 object can use complex raw code data as source of barcode generation or can be linked to a database, so the raw data is pulled from a database table field (column).

To add a Barcode 2D PDF417 object to your label design, do the following:

1. Select the Object|2D PDF417
2. Click in the design area at the position where you want to insert the object.

Other Barcode object properties that can be modified are:

Top	Coordinate x from the object insertion point in the current unit of measurement.
Left	Coordinate y from the object insertion point in the current unit unit of measurement.
Color	Character font color. Click on the Color bar to change.
Print	Check (mark, tick) the box if you want to print the content of the object in the final label design printout.
Background	Fills the background of the object with selected color. Transparent property must be unchecked for the background color property to take effect. By default, the background color is white. Click on the Color bar to change to necessary color.
Transparent	Must be unchecked to make the object's background color affective.
FieldName	FieldName property is the name of the field from database table or from counter, we want to bind the text object to. Database must be checked (ticked, marked, selected) in order to use FieldName.
Database	Check (tick, mark) in order to link the text object to a database table
Angle	Angle of inclination. Can be selected from drop-down list of values: 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees.
Correction Level	Built-in error correction to ensure better readability. There are nine possible levels of correction that can be selected from the drop-down list. The higher the number, the better the readability. The disadvantage of high correction level, however, is reduction in the size of text strings you can encode. By default, necessary correction level is automatically detected and applied by the program. Recommended error correction levels are between level 2 and 5, but the optimal value depends on amount of data, printing quality of the PDF417 symbol and decoding capabilities.
RowCount	The number of visible rows - must be less than 90. If set to 0, then it is automatically assigned by the program. see also: PDF417 Classification
ColCount	The number of visible columns - must be less than 30. If set to 0, then it is automatically assigned by the program.
Bar Width	Width of bar code in millimeters. BW.
Bar Height	Height of bar code in millimeters. BH.
L. Margin	Space added to the left and right of the barcode LM. see barcode dimensions
T. Margin	Space added above and below the barcode TM. see barcode dimensions
Ratio	The ratio of the width to the height of the bars. Bar height = bar width x ratio. This is used when the ratio is greater than zero. If you decide to manually assign ratio value, then make sure it is greater than 1.
Code	Data that will constitute the barcode symbols. When Code is linked to a field in the database, this will be the name. refer to FieldName and Database properties
Truncated	If checked, the program will erase the indicator mark on the right and stop code row. A truncated PDF417 symbol uses less area than the normal PDF417 barcode. By selecting this option, the right hand side of the symbol is removed or truncated. This option should be used primarily in a clean environment, since it is more susceptible to damage.

Recommended readings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-page-437

PDF417 Technical Data

Normative standards: The normative standard for the PDF 417 barcode symbology is called ISO/IEC 15438:2001 (ISO International Standard).

PDF417 data capacity: A single PDF417 symbol can theoretically hold up to 1850 alphanumeric characters, 2710 digits or 1108 bytes. Due to internal data compression algorithms the exact data capacity depends on the structure of the data to be encoded. The maximum PDF417 capacity is also influenced by available printing space and the printer resolution.

The default character set is CP437.

Error correction: PDF417 offers a built-in error correction method based on Reed-Solomon algorithms. The error correction level is adjustable by the user between level 0 (just error detection) and level 8 (maximum error correction). Recommended error correction levels are between level 2 and 5, but the optimal value depends on amount of data, printing quality of the PDF417 symbol and decoding capabilities.

PDF417 supports 'Structured Append', in such a case the symbology is named Macro PDF417 or MacroPDF. Theoretically up to 99999 PDF417 symbols can be concatenated. If a scanner or decoder supports this feature, it returns the concatenated data content of all PDF417 symbols in the correct order.

PDF417 Classification

PDF417 is a 2D barcode symbology (two-dimensional barcode) with very high data density. A single PDF417 symbol can be imagined as multiple linear bar-codes (called "rows") stacked above each other. This is the reason why the PDF417 symbology is sometimes called a "stacked linear symbology". The overall shape of a PDF417 is rectangular. The size of the symbol can be modified by the user. The ratio of the widths of the bars (or spaces) to each other encode the information in a PDF417 symbol. For that reason the printing accuracy and a suitable printer resolution are important for high quality PDF417 symbols. Pure 2-D barcode symbologies like Data Matrix or QR Code encode the information in the presence of black or white dots at specific positions - and not by using bar:space ratios.

PDF417 barcode Structure

Symbol Structure

All PDF417 barcode symbols are made up of stacks of vertically aligned rows. Each code can contain anywhere from 3 to 90 rows, each having the following components:

1. Leading quiet zone
2. Start pattern
3. Left row indicator symbol character
4. 1 - 30 data symbol characters
5. Right row indicator symbol character
6. Stop pattern
7. Trailing quiet zone
2D PDF417 barcode symbol structure

Start and Stop Patterns

PDF417 codes have unique start and stop patterns. Both patterns are bar-space sequences defined below:
Start Pattern = 81111113 (ending with a space)
Stop Pattern = 711311121 (ending with a bar)

Quiet Zones

A PDF417 requires a quiet zone that is free of any printing (white) around the entire perimeter of the code. The minimum size of the quiet zone is twice the size of the minimum element width or module.