News

Datastrip's 2D Superscript Bar Code System Integrated with Synercard's Asure ID Photo Card Software To Permit Addition of Biometrics

Datastrip Technology Stores Biometrics, Photos & Text in Compact Bar Code

Exton, Pennsylvania, USA, and Hull, Quebec CANADA, January 10, 2002 - Datastrip Inc. and Synercard Corporation today jointly announced that the latest version of Synercard's Asure ID photo identification software incorporates Datastrip's 2D Superscript bar code symbology for compact storage of personal identification information. Integration of Datastrip's system will enable enterprises and organizations of all sizes to add fingerprints or other biometrics to the data stored on cards produced by Synercard's advanced photo ID card software without occupying more real estate on the ID badge, thereby enhancing the security options available to Asure ID users.

With Datastrip's 2D symbology, Synercard users have the ability to store color or grayscale photographs, multiple biometrics and text in a bar code approximately the size of a magnetic stripe. A 0.75" x 3" space can store 2,200 bytes of information, for example. This represents up to twice the storage capacity of any other two-dimensional symbology in one-third the space with no sacrifice in error correction, making it possible to deploy multiple modes of identification on the same card without the addition of a smart chip. Before Datastrip's 2D Superscript technology became available, any effort to store this large volume of data in a bar code would have produced a bar code larger than the ID badge itself.

Use of 2D Superscript bar codes also ensures that the individual carrying the ID card is the same person to whom the card was issued. Additionally, information stored in 2D Superscript bar codes can be accessed only where and when the cardholder chooses, alleviating privacy concerns by ensuring that biometrics, passwords and other personal information are not available to individuals browsing a database.

2D Superscript bar codes can be printed on passports, driver's licenses and other substrates as well as ID cards. Data can be decoded on Datastrip's DS Verify2D, a portable and fully integrated two-dimensional bar code and smart card reader with biometric verification capabilities that features a maximum decoding and biometric matching cycle time of four seconds. The combination of Datastrip's hardware and software with Synercard's Asure ID application provides a total solution for identity verification and other applications requiring ID cards.

"With the rising awareness of the need for security today, many organizations are beginning to demand more robust ID card systems, but until now adding biometrics or even color photographs to bar codes on ID badges was a costly and complex proposition," said Bruce Bianco, Synercard president and founder. "The addition of Datastrip's 2D Superscript bar code capabilities to the Asure ID Family of Products dramatically simplifies the process, giving our partners and customers a cost-effective solution for portable storage and identity validation that significantly expands the capabilities of their card projects."

About Synercard Corporation

Synercard Corporation was formed in 1997 to exploit the emerging market opportunities in the areas of Internet and Intranet-enabled card personalization and issuance for advanced photo ID cards. Today, Synercard designs, develops and, through an international network of value-added resellers, markets software products which simplify and streamline the process of managing and issuing advanced photo ID cards for organizations of any size anywhere. Synercard's flagship product line, the Asure ID Family of Products™, is a suite of powerful, flexible, Internet-enabled photo ID software products. Organizations that do not wish to purchase card issuance equipment can have their advanced photocards printed through an approved Asure ID Card Service Bureau. For more information, visit www.synercard.com.

For More Information Contact:
Bruce Bianco, President
Synercard Corporation
Tel: (819) 777-6687, Ext.3122
Fax: (819) 777-8114
Email: bbianco@synercard.com

About Datastrip, Inc.

Datastrip is a leading provider of 2D bar code and OCR-B software, hardware and biometric verification devices, including the 2D Superscript Software Developers Kit (SDK), Datastrip 2D (public domain) SDK and the DSVerify 2D reader with associated DSVerify Win CE SDK. Datastrip and its integration partners provide total solutions for production of ID cards, passports, national ID cards, driver's licenses, voter registration cards, health cards, financial cards, birth certificates and other identity documents, as well as biometric verification systems. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has selected Datastrip's symbology as a standard for use on Machine Readable Travel Documents such as passports and visas. For more information , visit www.datastrip.com.

Contact:
Contact: Debbie Tarsi
Company: Datastrip Inc.
Voice: 610-594-6130
Email: dtarsi@datastrip.net
URL: www.datastrip.com

Contact: Steve Simon
Company: S&S Public Relations for Datastrip
Voice: 847-955-0700 ext. 237
Email: steve1@sspr.com

All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders in Canada and/or other countries.