A method of enrolling a fingerprint using a narrow-width fingerprint scanner is described. The method may include the steps of receiving first, second, and third fingerprint image strips, respectively representing overlapping portion of the fingerprint, extracting minutiae from each of the fingerprint image strips, matching the extracted minutiae to determine relative positions of the fingerprint image strips, combining the extracted minutiae based on their relative positions to produce a combined set of minutiae representing a larger portion of the fingerprint, and determining that the fingerprint has been successfully enrolled if a width of the larger portion is greater than a predetermined minimum width, or, if not, requesting further fingerprint image strips until the width of the larger portion of the fingerprint is greater than the predetermined minimum width.