Aztec Code
Aztec Code is a high-density 2D matrix symbology that can store large amounts of data in a small area and does not require a quiet zone. Aztec codes are commonly used in ticketing, for instance railway tickets or airline boarding passes.
The name derives from the unique shape of the central finder pattern of concentric squares, which is reminiscent of an Aztec pyramid viewed from above.
A sample Aztec Code is shown below.
Aztec codes are frequently seen on mobile airline boarding passes. On printed boarding passes, PDF417 is more commonly used. A sample boarding pass stored in Apple Wallet is shown below.
Symbology Characteristics
Configuration name |
|
ISO specification | ISO/IEC 24788:2008 |
Encodable character set | All 8-bit values can be encoded. |
Capacity | The largest symbol can encode up to 3832 numeric or 3067 alphanumeric characters, or 1914 bytes of binary data. |
Integrity protection | Aztec Code has strong Reed-Solomon error correction for both the inner part (bullseye) and the surrounding payload. |
Quiet zone | A quiet zone is not required. |
Configuration Options
Aztec Code does not have any symbology-specific configuration options.
Limitations
The following elements of the ISO specification are not implemented:
Structured Append
Reader Initialization Symbols
Aztec Runes
ECI (Extended Channel Interpretation)