PDF417 barcode
The stacked linear code on driver’s licenses, boarding passes, and carrier shipping labels.
Also known as: Portable Data File 417, MicroPDF417, ISO/IEC 15438
What is PDF417?
PDF417 is a stacked two-dimensional symbology: rows of linear codewords stacked into a rectangle that holds up to about 1,800 characters with selectable error correction. It is the barcode on the back of a US driver’s license, on many boarding passes, and on parcel labels where the carrier encodes the full address block. Unlike QR and Data Matrix it can be read by a raster laser scanner as well as an imager.
Encodes: Text, numbers, or bytes; up to 1,850 text characters, 2,710 digits, or 1,108 bytes.
How PDF417 is structured
Each row is a self-contained linear barcode with start and stop patterns and row indicators, so a raster scanner can read the stack one row at a time and reassemble the message.
| Part | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Start and stop patterns | Every row | Fixed patterns at both ends of each row. |
| Row indicators | 1 codeword each side, every row | Encode row number, total rows, column count, and security level so rows can be reassembled in any order. |
| Data codewords | Variable | The payload in text, numeric, or byte compaction modes. |
| Error-correction codewords | 2 to 512 | Set by the security level; higher levels survive more damage and cost more rows. |
Specifications
- Capacity
- Up to 1,850 text characters, 2,710 digits, or 1,108 bytes
- Rows and columns
- 3 to 90 rows, 1 to 30 data columns
- Error correction
- Reed-Solomon, security levels 0 to 8 (2 to 512 codewords)
- Codeword
- 17 modules, 4 bars and 4 spaces, hence the name
- Quiet zone
- 2 modules on all sides
- Readers
- Imagers and raster laser scanners; not single-line lasers, not phone cameras without an app
- Variants
- MicroPDF417 for small labels; Compact PDF417 drops the right row indicators
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 15438
Dimensions are GS1 General Specifications targets. Confirm against the retailer’s current routing guide before a print run.
Where it is used
- US and Canadian driver’s licenses and ID cards (AAMVA standard)
- Airline boarding passes and baggage tags
- Carrier shipping labels that encode the full consignee and service data
- Hazardous materials and customs documents
- Composite symbols alongside GS1 DataBar
Produced by the issuing system with the document
PDF417 is generated when the document is: the DMV prints it on the license, the airline on the pass, the carrier system on the parcel label. In a warehouse you will read it far more often than print it, usually to capture a carrier’s shipment data or verify an ID at will-call.
Mistakes that cost money
Expecting a single-line laser to read it
Only raster lasers and imagers can. Handheld scanners bought for UPC often need an upgrade.
Too many rows for the label height
Large payloads with high error correction grow tall. Add columns or trim the payload to fit the label.
Security level set too low
Levels 0 and 1 carry almost no recovery. Labels that ride on parcels should sit at level 3 or higher.
Using PDF417 for shoppers
Phone cameras do not decode it natively. Use QR.
How Endless handles PDF417
Endless captures carrier and document data from PDF417 scans at receiving and shipping, matching it to the shipment record without re-keying, and keeps the operator’s own labels on GS1-128 or Data Matrix where trading partners expect them.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a driver’s license use PDF417 instead of QR?
The AAMVA standard predates the QR Code’s popularity and PDF417 could be read by the laser scanners already deployed. It holds the full license data set with error correction and has never needed replacing.
Is PDF417 a GS1 symbology?
Not on its own. GS1 uses it only as the 2D component of a composite symbol paired with GS1 DataBar. Standalone PDF417 carries whatever the issuing system defines.
Related symbologies
- QR Code→
The camera-readable matrix code on packaging, and the carrier GS1 chose for 2D at point of sale.
- Data Matrix→
The compact matrix code on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics, and small parts.
- Code 128→
The dense, full-ASCII linear barcode behind most warehouse, tote, and carrier labels.
Definitions in the glossary
- Warehouse Management System (WMS)→
The system that runs day-to-day warehouse operations — receiving, slotting, picking, shipping.
Browse the full barcode symbology guide.
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