PDF417 for forms, tickets, and ID cards
Forms, tickets, and ID documents that need to carry a large offline data payload commonly use PDF417.
Preconfigured for documents
This experience raises error correction to the real maximum level (8) ("eclevel": 8) instead of bwip-js's default, and lets bwip-js auto-select the column count ("columns": 0) since a fixed 2-column layout does not have enough capacity at this error-correction level.
Example data
The generator is seeded with "PDF417 example data", distinct from the primary's "This is PDF417"; adapt it with your own document data.
Workflow
Enter your data, adjust columns/rows to fit your document layout, confirm the preview, then export SVG.
Job-specific settings
Balance eclevel against available space -- higher error correction improves reliability on damaged/worn cards at the cost of capacity.
Scanning notes
Maintain quiet zones on all four sides; PDF417 scanners are more sensitive to cropped margins than simple linear barcodes.
Common mistakes
Squeezing the aspect ratio too aggressively to fit a layout is a common cause of scan failures.
Standard
PDF417 is defined by ISO/IEC 15438.
Related
For a smaller footprint at lower capacity, see Compact PDF417 or MicroPDF417.
FAQ
Why does this experience let columns auto-size instead of fixing them like the primary's example?
At maximum error correction (eclevel 8), a fixed 2-column layout can run out of capacity and fail to encode; letting bwip-js auto-select the column count avoids that failure mode while still keeping error correction at its highest level.