ID scanning products can be divided into two standard groups: equipment readable scanners and optical scanners. Equipment-readable scanners decode data saved electronically in a barcode or magnetic stripe and exhibit the data in an simple to study format. Optical scanners, generally referred to as optical character recognition (OCR) scanners, get an image of the card and use software to translate the picture into laptop textual content. Basically, OCR scanners study the card as if they had been a human. Machine-readable barcode and magnetic stripe scanners are significantly much more accurate, more quickly and much better at helping to detect phony IDs than OCR ID scanners.
Accuracy
Since device-readable ID scanners read through the information encoded on the barcode and magnetic stripe of an identification card, they are 100% precise. They exhibit the precise information programmed on the card, including birthday, card expiration, deal with, license variety, and so forth. They use the beginning date to calculate and display the cardholder’s age, and the card expiration date to figure out the card’s status. Importantly, they report the scan information, providing a reputable digital report of age verification. Business homeowners can relaxation certain that their info is 100% accurate in scenario of a liquor authority raid or company investigation.
On the contrary, OCR scanners are only ninety eight% precise. Since they depend upon software program to translate an picture of the card instead than looking through the encoded data, figures are often misread and saved incorrectly. Though ninety eight% appears like a high percentage, one in 50 scans has a miscalculation somewhere in the knowledge. It could be a incorrect road amount, a bad license variety, or an incorrect beginning date. Imprecise data can create an incorrect age calculation (if it reads 1969 alternatively of 1989), or render tackle info useless for mailing lists. This range of imprecision can make the scan fully worthless in an affirmative defense in opposition to age verification violations.
For a product whose goal is safeguarding enterprise owners 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 audience. The decoding of data from a barcode or magnetic stripe is nearly instantaneous. Typical scans take around 1 next to compute and file. OCR scans just take upwards of five seconds to full since of the enhanced computer processing necessary to interpret the optical scan.
This modest difference in scan throughput time can have a huge influence on ID scanning purposes. Envision a line of one hundred customers ready to get into a live performance that requires them to be 18 several years of age. Let’s believe it requires a bouncer twenty seconds to get an ID card from each patron irrespective of the kind of ID scanner he is employing. If the bouncer were using an OCR scanner, it would just take roughly 42 minutes to verify the IDs of everybody in the line. It would consider the identical bouncer only 35 minutes to confirm the identical line of buyers with a barcode or magnetic stripe ID scanner (a cost savings of 7 minutes). If the line were one,000 men and women, the barcode/magnetic stripe reader would help save roughly 1 hour and ten minutes. This would boost the fulfillment of the buyer and reduced the payroll costs of the company.
Detection of Phony IDs
The most important aspect in detecting phony IDs is an alert operator, and no machine is 100% efficient in detecting fraudulent IDs. That getting said, equipment-readable ID scanners offer a huge advantage above OCR scanners in the combat in opposition to faux IDs.
The manufacturing of bogus IDs is as dependent upon economics as any legitimate organization. ID card printers price about $750 whilst magnetic stripe and barcode encoding technology provides even far more important expense. Numerous individuals that generate faux IDs just cannot afford the more costly technologies necessary to encode magnetic stripes or barcodes. As a consequence, fake IDs are often printed on stock ID cards with generic or blank data encoding.
Machine-readable ID checkers let the operator to compare the information stored electronically on the ID with the data printed on the card. Faux IDs will often have a mismatch in two sets of knowledge. For instance, the title printed on the front of the card may read Charlotte Blake, whilst the encoded information stored in the magnetic stripe may read through John Smith. This is a clear indication that the ID is a fake. Whilst the machine itself can’t assess the printed information to the encoded information, it provides a essential device for any individual attempting to validate the authenticity of an ID.
Common OCR scanners do not obtain the information saved electronically on ID cards. This eradicates all chance of comparing the printed information to the encoded info, and essentially renders an OCR ID scanner the equal of a glorified copying device. At greatest, OCR scanners offer a reduced-good quality data entry technique. There are some more expensive techniques which can scan equally sides of the drivers license, study the Second barcode (but normally not the magnetic stripe) and then assess the knowledge fields, but these systems are usually 2 times as expensive, two times as gradual and not suited for retail purposes.
Company Card Scanners have the advantage of storing an impression of the ID card, which implies they can help save the cardholder picture. This is assists set up which ID was introduced when serving age delicate items. Nonetheless, if there is a video surveillance method digital camera in use when reading through the machine-readable barcode, then most programs date/time stamp the reads so a retailer can time stamp match the video to the machine-readable reads.
Summary
The key negatives of OCR ID scanning technology are low precision, sluggish pace and incapacity to study encoded data to detect faux IDs. Thankfully for buyers, a far more strong age verification instrument exists. idplug -readable barcode and magnetic stripe ID scanners are one hundred% exact, check out IDs virtually instantaneously, and support to detect phony IDs.
If you are a organization proprietor hunting for a way to validate buyer age, which resolution would you choose? The barcode/magnetic stripe reader that speeds through long strains, will help decide out fake IDs, and gives 100% accuracy? Or the OCR ID scanner that misreads one in 50 cards? Make the smart choice when selecting an ID scanner to defend your enterprise, and select a equipment-readable ID scanner.
