PDF417 |
The Symbology and Size property page for the PDF417 symbology includes the following options.
Symbology: Specifies the symbology that is selected. You can use this list to select a different symbology.
Dimensions
X dimension: Specifies the width of the X dimension.
Opens the Barcode X Dimension dialog, which you can use to configure advanced X dimension settings.
Ratio: Specifies the ratio between the widths of the wide and narrow elements in a barcode symbol. By default, this option is set to Auto and cannot be changed.
Density: Not available for this symbology.
Height: Not available for this symbology.
Symbology Specific Options
Correction level: Specifies the level of error correction. By default, this option is set to Auto, which specifies that the correction level is automatically determined based on the amount of data that is encoded.
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If you use the PDF417 symbology in a closed system (in which you control both the printing and the scanning of the symbol) and you have a high degree of confidence in your system's printing and reading capabilities, you might successfully reduce the printed size of your symbols by manually specifying a low correction level. However, if your system's print quality is questionable, if your barcodes are subject to damaging conditions in the field, or if you know that a variety of scanning equipment might be used to read the symbol, you might want to manually specify a higher correction level, even though a larger printed symbol will result. |
Columns: Specifies the number of columns that you want. By default, this option is set to Auto to instruct BarTender to determine the number of columns automatically.
Row height: Specifies the height of the rows as a multiple of the X dimension. The default row height is 3X. The range of valid values is 1X to 10X.
Rows: Specifies the number of rows that you want. By default, this option is set to Auto to instruct BarTender to determine the number of rows automatically.
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The PDF417 symbology supports between 3 and 90 rows. You can specify the number of rows, but only certain combinations of rows and columns can be used. Therefore, the number of rows that is available in the Rows list varies depending on the number of columns that is selected in the Columns option. |
Truncated: Specifies that the right row indicators of the symbol are omitted and the stop pattern is reduced to a one-module-wide bar, which creates a Compact PDF417 symbol. When you select this option, the non-data overhead is reduced from four codewords per row to two codewords per row.
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When you truncate a PDF417 symbol, a smaller symbol results, but decoding performance and the ability to withstand noise, damage, degradation, dust, and so on are decreased. |
Use ECI protocol: Specifies a protocol for adding escape sequences to the data that uses the Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI) standard. BarTender can use the ECI protocol to encode text into a barcode by using various international character sets or Unicode (UTF-8).
Text encoding: Specifies the character set that BarTender uses to convert the text message string to the data representation that is encoded in the barcode symbol.
Prefix: Specifies that a prefix of one or more characters is added to the beginning of the barcode symbol in accordance with industry standards. The following options are available.
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For more information about which prefix option to use, refer to your symbology specification. |
None: Specifies that the data is encoded without a prefix.
Linked to Linear Component (GS1 Composite): Specifies that the GS1 Composite prefix is linked to the associated linear component. For more information, refer to your symbology specification.
Linked to Linear Component (Other): Specifies that the prefix is linked to the associated linear component. For more information, refer to your symbology specification.
Reader Initialization: Specifies that the symbol encodes a message that is used to program the reader system.
Color: Displays the currently selected color of the barcode symbol. To select a different color, click this option, and then use the Color Picker to select the color that you want. For more information, refer to Color Picker.
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Barcode scanners cannot read colored barcodes as well as they can read barcodes that are printed in black. Therefore, we recommend that you do not modify the color of barcode objects unless they are used only for decoration. |
Print Method: Opens the Print Method Options dialog, where you can specify how your barcodes are printed on thermal printers. Available when you use a thermal printer that has Drivers by Seagull™ installed.
