DataGlyph is a 2D matrix barcode system developed at Xerox PARC. DataGlyph is designed to unobtrusively integrate computer-readable information into printed materials.
The binary data represented by a DataGlyph is encoded with Reed–Solomon error correction. The data is interlaced and printed as a grid of 45° diagonal lines, with a downward slope representing 0, and an upward slope representing 1. These glyphs are printed very densely to the extent that they can appear as continuous, solid colors, akin to halftone.[1] In this way, DataGlyphs can be hidden, tuned to appear similar to a particular image[2], printed in the background of text, or presented as a decorative page border.[3]
DataGlyphs have been incorporated into digital cards, with a data density of reportedly 3 kilobytes, much higher than magnetic stripes.[3]
References
edit- ^ Moravec, Kimberly. "A Grayscale Reader for Camera Images of Xerox DataGlyphs." BMVC. 2002.
- ^ Weibel, Nadir. "A publishing infrastructure for interactive paper documents: supporting interactions across the paper-digital divide." Diss. ETH Zurich, 2009.
- ^ a b Parks, Bob. "The Scientist and His Glyphs." WIRED, Mar. 1996. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
