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A magnetic stripe, sometimes appearing on printed cards, allows information to be encoded using magnetic particles, which are read by physical contact with another magnetic reading device. The magnetic stripe consists of three tracks which contain different types of data. Each track is 0.110 inches (2.79 mm) wide and can contain 7-bit alphanumeric characters or 5-bit numeric characters.

Like many encoding technologies, the magnetic stripe can conform to international standards which define the location, size, and magnetic characteristics of the magnetic stripe on a card. Examples include ATM cards, driver's licenses, or retail gift cards. Keep in mind that not all cards with magnetic stripes conform to these standards; cards that store information in the magnetic stripe, such as hotel key cards and public transportation cards, may ignore these standards.

For more information about magnetic stripe properties, refer to Encoder Property Page.

In This Section

• ISO/IEC 7811 Identification Cards

  BarTender supports the ISO/IEC 7811 standard for defining the location of the magnetic stripe, as well as the data layout of each track in the magnetic stripe. Three tracks are available, each with specific data formatting requirements.