a system and related techniques provide a platform for encoding high density geometric symbol sets , for example a triangular barcode - type of encoding which may be used to encode drivers &# 39 ; licenses , biometric ids , passports , or other transaction or identification media . according to embodiments of the invention in one regard , an inkjet , laser or other printer or output device may imprint a paper , plastic or other media with geometric symbols such as triangles in a defined array , to represent , for instance , name , address , or other identifying information , for instance such as digital facial photographs , iris or retinal scans , fingerprints , signatures , or other information . the geometric symbols may in one regard be arranged in a staggered format , separated in embodiments by a white space that may serve to reduce aliasing effects and other distortions . because triangular symbols may in general be packed more closely together , and the number of distinct individual symbols may scale according to the range of color space employed for the symbol set , information densities high enough to satisfactorily encode biometric iris or retinal scans , digital facial photographs , or other identification or other information may be achieved . in embodiments , error correcting processing such as reed - solomon techniques may be employed to enhance scanning accuracy . in further embodiments , a reference palette may be embedded within the imprinted media , to provide a scale against which color fading or other distortion may be measured .