ID scanning products can be divided into two fundamental groups: equipment readable scanners and optical scanners. Machine-readable scanners decode information stored electronically in a barcode or magnetic stripe and screen the information in an effortless to go through format. Optical scanners, typically referred to as optical character recognition (OCR) scanners, just take an image of the card and use computer software to translate the picture into pc text. Essentially, OCR scanners read the card as if they ended up a human. Equipment-readable barcode and magnetic stripe scanners are considerably much more correct, more rapidly and far better at supporting to detect phony IDs than OCR ID scanners.

Accuracy

Given that equipment-readable ID scanners read the information encoded on the barcode and magnetic stripe of an identification card, they are one hundred% precise. They screen the actual information programmed on the card, including birthday, card expiration, handle, license variety, etc. They use the beginning date to compute and exhibit the cardholder’s age, and the card expiration day to figure out the card’s status. Importantly, they report the scan data, providing a dependable electronic report of age verification. Organization owners can rest confident that their data is one hundred% exact in situation of a liquor authority raid or agency investigation.

On the contrary, OCR scanners are only 98% correct. Due to the fact they depend on application to translate an image of the card relatively than looking through the encoded info, people are typically misread and saved incorrectly. Although ninety eight% looks like a high proportion, one in 50 scans has a miscalculation somewhere in the data. It could be a incorrect street variety, a undesirable license variety, or an incorrect birth day. Imprecise information can create an incorrect age calculation (if it reads 1969 alternatively of 1989), or render handle info worthless for mailing lists. This variety of imprecision can make the scan completely worthless in an affirmative defense against age verification violations.

For a merchandise whose purpose is defending enterprise homeowners from age verification violations, the inaccuracy of OCR ID scanners is intolerable.

Pace

In addition to increased accuracy, machine-readable scanners are also quicker than OCR visitors. The decoding of information from a barcode or magnetic stripe is practically instantaneous. Common scans consider approximately one second to compute and record. OCR scans just take upwards of 5 seconds to total because of the increased computer processing needed to interpret the optical scan.

This tiny big difference in scan throughput time can have a large affect on ID scanning programs. Picture a line of a hundred clients waiting to get into a concert that requires them to be 18 many years of age. Let us assume it will take a bouncer twenty seconds to get an ID card from every single patron regardless of the sort of ID scanner he is utilizing. If the bouncer were utilizing an OCR scanner, it would consider about forty two minutes to check out the IDs of everybody in the line. It would get the same bouncer only 35 minutes to validate the exact same line of clients with a barcode or magnetic stripe ID scanner (a cost savings of 7 minutes). If the line had been 1,000 individuals, the barcode/magnetic stripe reader would save around a single hour and ten minutes. This would increase the pleasure of the buyer and reduce the payroll costs of the enterprise.

Detection of Faux IDs

The most important element in detecting phony IDs is an notify operator, and no device is one hundred% efficient in detecting fraudulent IDs. That currently being stated, device-readable ID scanners offer a huge advantage over OCR scanners in the fight towards fake IDs.

The generation of faux IDs is as dependent on economics as any legitimate organization. ID card printers cost about $750 even though magnetic stripe and barcode encoding technological innovation provides even a lot more substantial price. A lot of individuals that create phony IDs just are not able to manage the a lot more high-priced engineering needed to encode magnetic stripes or barcodes. As a result, bogus IDs are often printed on inventory ID playing cards with generic or blank data encoding.

Machine-readable ID checkers let the operator to compare the info saved electronically on the ID with the information printed on the card. Faux IDs will regularly have a mismatch in two sets of information. For illustration, the title printed on the entrance of the card may possibly read Charlotte Blake, whilst the encoded information stored in the magnetic stripe could go through John Smith. This is a very clear indication that the ID is a fake. Although the machine itself can not examine the printed details to the encoded information, it gives a critical tool for any person attempting to validate the authenticity of an ID.

Common OCR scanners do not obtain the info saved electronically on ID playing cards. This gets rid of all probability of evaluating the printed info to the encoded details, and basically renders an OCR ID scanner the equivalent of a glorified copying machine. At very best, OCR scanners give a low-quality information entry system. There are fake driver license front and back -priced techniques which can scan each sides of the motorists license, read through the 2nd barcode (but generally not the magnetic stripe) and then compare the info fields, but these programs are generally twice as pricey, twice as sluggish and not suited for retail programs.

Company Card Scanners have the gain of storing an impression of the ID card, which means they can conserve the cardholder image. This is aids build which ID was offered when serving age sensitive items. Even so, if there is a video surveillance method digital camera in use when reading the device-readable barcode, then most techniques date/time stamp the reads so a retailer can time stamp match the video to the machine-readable reads.

Conclusion

The main negatives of OCR ID scanning technological innovation are lower accuracy, slow pace and inability to study encoded info to detect phony IDs. Luckily for shoppers, a far more strong age verification device exists. Machine-readable barcode and magnetic stripe ID scanners are 100% correct, verify IDs nearly instantaneously, and support to detect fake IDs.

If you are a organization operator seeking for a way to verify buyer age, which solution would you decide on? The barcode/magnetic stripe reader that speeds by means of extended lines, assists choose out faux IDs, and supplies one hundred% accuracy? Or the OCR ID scanner that misreads one in fifty playing cards? Make the intelligent determination when deciding on an ID scanner to defend your enterprise, and decide on a equipment-readable ID scanner.