You've seen them before. You know, those pixelated black and white cubes that seem to be everywhere these days. Newspapers (Young Post included), magazines, posters, candy wrappers and business cards all use the technology.
But what exactly are they?
QR codes (or Quick Response codes) have been around since 1994. Invented in Japan by Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota, they were originally used to track vehicles in the supply chain. They were seen as an improvement over traditional bar codes, which use a beam of light to scan. They can be read by any imaging device with the proper software and can store more information.
Helped by the rise in mobile gadgets, QR codes quickly made their way into the world of marketing. Companies use them to deliver information to customers. Information can be in the form of URLs and phone numbers, among others.
To scan, or read, a QR code, you need a proper device with a camera. Smartphones and tablets are commonly used. But any device equipped with a scanning app will work. Basic scanning apps are free and available on IOS and Android devices.
To scan a code, simply enable the scanning app and point the camera at the code. Make sure the area is well lit and that the camera is steady. The app will do the rest.
One of the main advantages of QR codes is the ability to create your own code. There are plenty of code-generating websites out there. And they are all free. Simply add the text, link, etc, you would like and the website will generate the code, which can either be printed or downloaded as an image file.