A QR code is a 2D barcode created by a Japanese corporation in 1994. The name of this corporation is Denso-Wave and they wanted to create a barcode capable of very fast response to the scanner. This is where its name comes from: QR (quick response)
If until a few years ago the code was popular mainly in Asia, Japan, now it is beginning to gain popularity in the United States and in Europe. The rise in popularity is mainly due to the expansion of smartphones and the 3G network.
A QR code can store much more information than other barcodes, for example, a maximum of 7089 numeric characters and 4296 alphanumeric characters. Compared to a traditional barcode, this new code can be scanned from any direction at a 360-degree angle.
To create and use it, you must first generate the code using an offline or online QR code generator. The second one is more accessible and easier to use because you don’t need to install any software on your computer. A very good service to generate QR codes online is QrZilla.
Once the code has been created with the desired information inside, you need a reader to see what information was stored inside the generated image. The reader can be a specialized scanner connected to a computer, or it can be a mobile phone with a barcode scanner app installed. The second type of application (the one that is installed on the mobile phone) uses the phone’s camera to scan the code. The camera must have autofocus to scan the code quickly and accurately.
You can generate a QR code and use it to:
– create a modern looking business card by embedding the qr code in it;
– create a mecard or a vcard and use it in your signature for the web page;
– WIFI access details (people can scan the code with their phone and easily connect to your public wifi);
– simple text embedding inside;
– email address, which will prevent automatic robots from indexing your email;
– Bookmark URL to directly save your website;
– write short product reviews and display the QR code near the product on the website or in some magazines;
