QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

Ever since Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440, printed material – be it newspapers, magazines, signs or clothing – has been a highly effective means of communication, with two big drawbacks: it’s static and it’s one way.

But that’s all changing, thanks to those postage stamp-sized little boxes of square dots that you’ve probably seen popping up in newspapers and magazines and on signs, flyers and even clothing.

They’re called Quick Response codes – QR codes, for short – and they give printed materials the ability to trigger a variety of actions when scanned by a smartphone’s built-in camera. Think of it like clicking a link on a website to jump to another page with more information.

Originally, QR codes were just beefed-up bar codes used by the automotive industry to track parts, since they could contain far more information than standard bar codes – up to about 4,300 characters per box. Toyota’s Denso-Wave subsidiary invented the format, which is now an ISO standard that’s available for use free of any license charges.

Now, however, they’re being used by advertisers and publishers to provide readers with a quick, convenient method of responding to printed materials or accessing more information.

Perhaps the most common use for a QR code is to display a web page with more information or a response form, but they can also be used to call a phone number, display additional text, add a contact to your address book or initiate an email or text message.

The whole point of a QR code is that it saves you the hassle of having to type a long website address or phone number into your smartphone, iPad or computer, making it far more convenient to take action based on something you see printed.

Imagine a story in a newspaper about a plane crash for which the publisher has more photos and video online. Rather than having to type in a lengthy web page address, you could just scan the QR code at the end of the story and jump right to the photos or video.

Or picture an ad for a sale on tyres at a local tyre store. Instead of needing to dial the phone number, just scan the QR code and you could be connected directly to the store to schedule an appointment.

VIVA! QR TAKE THINGS FURTHER

Here at Viva! QR, we have taken the Quick Response Code concept but made it much more effective for businesses.  By scanning the code, your potential customers automatically become hot leads.  Read about it here.