FD-258 Fingerprint Card Notch Explained

When using and purchasing FD-258 fingerprint cards, it is important to make sure they are authentically printed on the correct card stock weight, printed properly and have the notch in the upper left corner of the FD-258 fingerprint card.

The question then becomes why is the notch in the upper left of an authentic FD-258 fingerprint card. The notch in the FD-258 fingerprint card is used for orientation purposes. The FBI and other agencies that need to use FD-258 fingerprint cards use optical scanners or document feeding machines to digitize the FD-258 fingerprint card in order to proceed with processing the card. The notch in the upper left ensures that the FD-258 fingerprint card is fed into the scanner with the correct orientation of the card. The notch gives the scanner a physical reference point so it can align the card properly and also helps the technician to see the correct orientation of the card at a glance. Both are needed when processing and scanning thousands of cards a day.

In summation, the notch, orientation notch, registration notch, etc. is a mechanical alignment feature used to align the FD-258 fingerprint cards during the scanning portion of the FD-258 processing procedure. Shown below is the correct notch that is located in the upper left of the FD-258 fingerprint cards. Cards without this notch may not be acceptable based on the agency and their optical scanners or document feeding machines.