Short answer: to capture customer fingerprints for NFA eForms in your shop, an FFL needs two things: an FBI Appendix F certified fingerprint scanner and software that turns captures into an ATF-compliant EFT file for upload to eForms. ATF eForms accepts an uploaded .EFT file for eForm 1 and eForm 4 (the alternative is mailing FD-258 cards in duplicate). A common build is a roll-capable FAP 60 scanner like the Thales DactyScan84c ($643 new) paired with 10Scan software, which captures the prints, generates the EFT, and auto-fills the eForm filing in one workflow.
Why fingerprints are the eForm bottleneck
Every eForm 4 transfer (suppressors, SBRs, and other NFA items) requires fingerprints for the applicant, and for every responsible person on a trust or entity filing. Before electronic filing, that meant ink FD-258 cards, and it still does for any customer who walks in without prints: they leave your counter, hunt down a fingerprinting service, and maybe come back to finish the sale. Every dealer who sells suppressors knows how many of those customers never return.
eForms changed the equation. The system accepts an electronic fingerprint file (an EFT) uploaded with the application, and an FFL with a scanner and the right software can go from walk-in customer to submitted eForm in one visit. Fingerprinting stops being the leak in your NFA funnel and becomes part of the sale.
What the ATF actually accepts
- Electronic: an EFT file uploaded in eForms, supported on eForm 1 and eForm 4. The EFT is a digital fingerprint record conforming to the FBI's Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification, the same family of standards behind livescan submissions (see our certification guide).
- Paper: FD-258 fingerprint cards, submitted in duplicate, for filings done on paper or when no EFT is available.
- Reuse: a customer's EFT file can be reused on later filings, so the capture you do for this suppressor serves the next one too. Dealers who store customer EFTs (with permission) make repeat NFA sales dramatically faster.
The FD-258 format includes rolled impressions as well as flats, so capture hardware that can roll is the safe foundation for NFA work.
Scanners that work for NFA fingerprinting
The requirement is FBI-certified capture quality; the practical standard is an Appendix F device, ideally a roll-capable FAP 60. Models we stock and run with this exact workflow:
| Scanner | Class | Our price | Fit for an FFL counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thales DactyScan84c | FAP 60, flats + rolls | $643 new, used from $495 | The value pick; compact desk unit, proven in our operations |
| IB Kojak | FAP 60, flats + rolls | Used from $1,450; new by quote | Premium capture in sunlight and on dry hands; USB powered |
| Xperix RealScan G10 | FAP 60, flats + rolls | Refurb $1,650; new by quote | Fastest automatic capture for busy counters |
| Thales CS500f | FAP 50, slaps only | $910 new | Supported by 10Scan; confirm slap-only fits your filing needs first |
| IB Five-0 | FAP 30, single finger + rolls | Used from $195 | Budget capture, finger at a time; slower but workable for low volume |
Buying used cuts the entry cost roughly in half, and FBI certification rides with the model, not the unit. Just buy tested: our used buying guide explains why "powers on, untested" auction units are a bad bet for a revenue workflow, and our graded used stock ships tested with up to a 90-day warranty.
Software: where the EFT actually comes from
The scanner produces images. Software assembles them, with the customer's biographic data, into a compliant EFT and gets the eForm filed. This is where we stop being neutral: 10Scan is our own product, built by TenScan (the company behind BiometricSource) for exactly this FFL workflow, and it is the software we run in our own fingerprinting operations. What it does, per the published product page at 10scan.com:
- captures livescan fingerprints on a Windows 10 or 11 PC or touch-screen tablet,
- generates ATF-compliant EFT files,
- auto-fills and submits NFA eForm 1, eForm 4, and Form 5 filings,
- runs a self-service kiosk mode: the customer scans their driver's license, takes a passport-style photo, captures prints, and answers the eForm questions while your staff sells,
- imports and converts existing FD-258 ink cards to EFT files,
- manages CLEO information and generates NFA gun trusts through National Gun Trusts,
- licenses as a one-time purchase with an annual renewal.
It pairs with the Appendix F scanners we stock, including the DactyScan84c, CS500f, Kojak, Five-0, and the Xperix/Suprema RealScan line. If you already run other TenScan tools, this slots into the same family: FFLScan for FFL compliance workflows and NFASync for NFA status tracking. Other EFT-capable software exists and works with this hardware too; we link ours because we built it and can support the whole stack under one roof.
The in-store workflow
- Customer commits to the suppressor or SBR.
- At the kiosk or counter station: license scan, photo, fingerprint capture, eForm questions. With 10Scan this runs as a self-service flow the dealer reviews.
- Software generates the EFT and auto-fills the eForm 4; dealer reviews and submits before the customer leaves.
- EFT is retained for the customer's next filing.
Our own operations take a walk-in from door to submitted eForm in about ten minutes with this stack. That is the entire pitch: no second trip, no lost sale, and fingerprinting itself can become a fee-based service for your counter.
What it costs
Hardware from $195 (used Five-0) to $643 to $910 (new DactyScan84c or CS500f) to $1,450 and up (graded Kojak), plus software licensing. For full budgeting context read the livescan cost guide, or skip straight to a bundle quote: scanner, software, and setup guidance priced together, with honest advice on whether a used unit fits your volume.