Free PDF417 Barcode Generator
PDF417 is a stacked 2D barcode: rows of small barcodes on top of each other, holding up to about a kilobyte of text. Type your text, check that it scans and download it.
Any text up to 1,000 characters.
The blank margin around the code, in modules (the width of the narrowest bar or one cell). PDF417 needs at least 2.
Made in your browser; nothing you type is sent to QRdx. WebP and AVIF are encoded by QRdx's server when you pick them, and nothing is kept.
Where PDF417 barcodes are used
Driver's licenses and ID cards (US and Canadian licenses carry one on the back), paper boarding passes, shipping documents and forms that carry their data with them.
Its wide, short shape fits along the edge of a card or a label, where a square code wouldn't.
Do I need to register a PDF417 barcode?
No. It holds whatever text you type. Formats such as driver's license data follow their own standards for what goes inside; this generator encodes your text as given.
What PDF417 can hold
What it takes
Any text up to 1,000 characters.
Example
QRdx PDF417 sampleAny text, up to 1,000 characters here. A PDF417 has 3 to 90 rows of 1 to 30 data columns and can hold up to 1,850 letters and digits, 2,710 digits or 1,108 bytes.
Error correction is built in, so part of the code can be damaged and still read.
PDF417 barcode size
| Example as SVG, PDF or EPS | 43.7 × 8.8 mm |
|---|---|
| Cell | 0.353 mm |
| Quiet zone | At least 2 cells all round; the generator starts with 2 |
- The vector downloads use a 0.353 mm module: the sample text comes out 43.7 × 8.8 mm. Longer text adds rows and columns.
- Keep at least 2 modules of blank space around it; the generator starts there.
PDF417 barcode API
The same barcode is an image URL, with no API key: put it in an img tag, a label template or a product feed. It checks the value the way this page does, and allows 300 requests a minute per IP address. The barcode API docs list every option.
SVG image
https://api.qrdx.dev/v1/barcode?format=pdf417&data=QRdx%20PDF417%20samplePNG, 3 pixels per module
https://api.qrdx.dev/v1/barcode?format=pdf417&data=QRdx%20PDF417%20sample&type=png&scale=3In a web page
<img src="https://api.qrdx.dev/v1/barcode?format=pdf417&data=QRdx%20PDF417%20sample" alt="PDF417 QRdx PDF417 sample" />PDF417 barcode FAQ
Can phones read PDF417?
Many barcode scanner apps can, but the built-in camera apps often don't. It's mostly read by dedicated scanners, such as ID and boarding pass readers.
Can I make a driver's license barcode?
Only an issuing authority makes real ones. This generator encodes text you type as a PDF417; it doesn't format license data.
Other barcode types
All 11 barcode typesBarcodes are static: the data is in the bars, so they work offline and never expire. For a link people scan with a phone camera, use one of the QR code generators.