Knowledge Base Driver License Barcodes- Read and parse 1D and PDF417 2D Barcodes from driver license ID Card image

Barcode Recognition

Barcode 1D Basic

Barcode 1D Pro

PDF417

DataMatrix

Driver License / ID Card

Barcode Generation

Visual Barcode Designer

Barcode for Documents

Web Server Add-On

Check21 Processing

MICR OCR Reader

Check IQA Metrics

Image Processing

Repair

Tools

PDF I/O

Batch Image Processing

ClearImage Driver License and
ID Card Reader

Over 45 states issue driver licenses with personal data encoded onto the 2D (and 1D) barcodes. The information includes birth dates, addresses and more. The barcodes are usually found on the back of the driver license.

What are the applications for these barcodes?

	Age Verification verify the age of alcohol buyers, and track the data automatically for traceability and protection
	Access Control verify and track the identity of people accessing a facility and create an automatic log
	Employment Verification verify and record the information associated with documents presented for employment
	Payee Verification reduce check fraud by verifying and tracking the payee presenting a check for payment
	Driver Verification track the driver and automatically gather useful information about the driver and his car buying activities at dealerships.
	Reduce Errors and Cost Create financial documents for car loans and consumer credit purposes by populating the fields from the ID card. Reduce key errors and data entry time, and allow the sales people to interact with the customer instead of the computer.

There are standards that define the appearance of the barcode (and other driver license elements), and the contents and meaning of the data in the barcode. These standards evolved over several years. Many versions of driver licenses exist in each state, and each state and Canadian province is free to select somewhat different formats.
The examples at right show some of the diversity of the driver license appearance.
This sample license from Minnesota shows that a barcode can also show up on the front of the license.

What makes Driver License Barcodes hard to read?

The aspects of the ID card barcodes that make the symbols difficult to read include:

	The module size is quite small, under 7 mil. See our Feb 2006 newsletter for advice on how to determine the module size.
	The barcode is covered by the card material which can get up to 10 mil thick
	The card yellows with age and shows abrasion and dirt
	Many readers are inadequate for the job

How to obtain good looking images for ID Cards?

We recommend scanning images according to these guidelines:

	Use a contact scanner, such as a business card scanners or small flat scanners
	Grayscale works the best. It is preferred to color and to BW outputs from scanners. Do not convert the image, however. If the scanner cannot be set to scan in grayscale, use color.
	Use at least 400dpi resolution. Most business card scanners support 600dpi.

Where Inlite Research Fits In

The ClearImage DL/ID Driver License and ID Card Reader is especially designed to deal with the requirements of reading ID cards such as Driver Licenses, Military ID cards and others. If is a fully compliant solution for the Real ID act of 2005.

	Sophisticated Algorithms find the barcodes and compensate for inherently poor quality images, expanding the range of readable cards to nearly 100%
	Accessible Data The reader provides easy access to each of the data elements of the driver license barcode in a ready to use, parsed format
	Information Validation of the data elements in the barcode can easily be done
	Application Flexibility ClearImage engines can accept images from sources such as scanners, cameras or badge readers and can analyze the data locally or in remote servers.