Symbol PDF417 is a stacked linear 2D barcode symbol format used in a variety of applications, primarily transport, identification cards, and inventory management. PDF stands for Portable Data File. The PDF417 symbology was invented by Dr. Ynjiun P. Wang at Symbol Technologies in 1991. (Wang 1993) It is represented by ISO standard 15438.

In addition to features typical of two dimensional bar codes, PDF417's capabilities include:

 

• Linking. PDF417 symbols can link to other symbols which are scanned in sequence allowing even more data to be stored.

• User-specified dimensions. The user can decide how wide the narrowest vertical bar (X dimension) is, and how tall the rows are (Y dimension).

• Public domain format. Anyone can implement systems using this format without any license.