What Compact PDF417 is
Compact PDF417 is PDF417 with its right-hand row-indicator columns removed, trading some error-detection convenience for a narrower symbol at the same data capacity. bwip-js delegates its own symbol drawing entirely to its PDF417 encoder -- confirmed directly: bwipp_pdf417compact forces the "compact" option to true and calls bwipp_pdf417().
Generate it now
Enter any text or data to see a live preview -- there is no fixed structure beyond PDF417's own general capacity rules.
Valid input
Any text or byte data is accepted, up to whatever capacity the chosen (or auto-selected) column count and error-correction level provide.
Key options
Supported options include eclevel and columns. Real, literal defaults (inherited directly from the pdf417 delegate): eclevel -1 (auto-computed from the payload size, 0-8), columns 0 (auto-computed from the payload size, 1-30).
Output and printing
Export SVG for vector-precise label artwork or PNG for a quick proof.
Common uses
Compact PDF417 is used wherever PDF417's high data capacity is needed on space-constrained labels and documents -- the same identification, shipping, and ticketing contexts as full PDF417, in a narrower footprint.
Example
See the live preview above, seeded with a bwip-js-verified valid value.
Size guidance
Removing the right-hand row-indicator columns -- compact's own difference from standard PDF417 -- narrows the symbol at the same data capacity, at the cost of that column's own extra error-detection redundancy.
Troubleshooting
A rejected value usually means the payload exceeds capacity at the chosen error-correction level and column count -- lower eclevel, fix a larger column count, or shorten the payload.
Related formats
Related formats already in this catalog: PDF417 (permanent cohort, the full-width format this capability delegates into) and MicroPDF417 (Batch 3, an even more compact, differently-structured PDF417 family member).
FAQ
How is this different from the regular PDF417 generator?
Both use the identical underlying PDF417 encoder; this generator forces "compact": true (removing PDF417's right-hand row-indicator columns), while the separate PDF417 generator uses the standard, full-width layout.
Why did my value get rejected even though it looks short?
Raising error correction reserves more of the symbol's fixed capacity for redundancy, leaving less room for data -- a payload that fits at the default level can exceed capacity at a much higher one.