How to create a qr code is one of the most common question asked by internet users. QR codes provide a quick, easy and popular way of linking information from your smartphone. In this article, you will learn how to create a qr code.
With the rise in smartphone usage over the years, more people have QR scanners in their pocket than ever before. Awareness for QR codes is growing, and the ease with which you can share your business information should not be overlooked by any tech-savvy company. QR codes have a lot of personal uses as well. Read on after the jump to learn how to create them yourself.
Table of Contents
What Is a QR Code?
QR codes, short for “quick response” codes, are square-shaped black-and-white symbols that people can scan using a smartphone to learn more about a product. These encrypted squares can hold links, coupons, event details, and other information that users might want to take with them for referring to later.
Although not every QR code is shaped like a perfect square, they’re most often found looking like the image above — with varying patterns displayed inside. You’ll often find them on direct mail, signage, billboards, and even commercials where you can quickly scan the code on the screen using your phone.
QR Codes vs. Barcodes
Does the rise of QR codes mean traditional barcodes are a thing of the past? Of course not. Traditional barcodes are still a common way for businesses to identify consumer packaged goods (CPGs) and manage their product inventory.
However, there are a number of differences between barcodes and QR codes — both in their uses and their characteristics. Here are three important differences:
QR Codes Are Shaped Differently
Barcodes are typically rectangular in shape, requiring scanning devices to read the barcode’s data horizontally. QR codes are often square-shaped, displaying their data vertically or horizontally.
QR Codes Hold More Data
Due to a QR code’s square shape, it can hold much more data than a barcode. In fact, QR codes can hold hundreds of times more encrypted characters than a barcode.
QR Codes Hold Different Data
QR codes are often used differently than barcodes. Barcodes hold key product information at the point of sale, such as the price and name of the manufacturer. QR codes offer more passive and intangible information, such as location data and URLs to promotions and product landing pages.
How Do QR Codes Work?
Originally designed in Japan for the automotive industry, marketers adopted the barcodes because of their large storage capacity and ability to translate additional information to consumers beyond what creative and/or packaging could convey. If a consumer sees a QR code somewhere, they can take out their mobile device, download a free QR code scanning app, and “scan” the barcode to gain access to additional information.
So if you wanted to create, say, a bus stop advertisement promoting your podcast, you could display a QR code on that printed ad that brings people right to your iTunes page when they scan it with their phones.
Method 1 Creating a Personal QR Code
Find a free QR code generator. If you are creating a QR code for your personal website or as your contact card, you can use a free QR code generator. These services will create a QR code for you, but don’t provide any advanced tracking or analytics.
- There are apps available for iPhone and Android that allow you to create QR codes as well.
Choose your data format. Most free generators will have several format options available. These might include simple text, a website URL, a phone number, a text message, or a vCard (contact card). The device that scans the code will launch the applicable program when the code is scanned (for example, scanning a phone number code will open the dialer on the phone and enter in the phone number).
Enter in your data. Enter your data into the fields provided by the generator. If you are entering text or a URL, try to keep it under 300 characters. Older phones and devices have difficulty with codes larger than 300 characters.
Change the color. By default, QR codes are black and white, but they can actually be any color you want. Most free code generators will allow you to adjust the colors on your QR code. This may be located in the “Options” or “Color” section of the generator.
- Some free generators allow you to change the size of the code, while others require a subscription in order to perform this service.
Share your code. All free code generators allow you to download your code in PNG format. This image file can be easily added to any document, uploaded to your personal website, or even added to your email signature.
- Some services, such as GoQR, provide an embedding code that you can use for your website.
Method 2 Creating a Business QR Code
Find a QR code generator that provides the services you need. There are a wide variety of QR code generating services that offer more than simple code generator. If you have a paid account, you can track how well a code is performing, make multiple-code campaigns, quickly change and update existing codes, and more.
- These services come at a price, and most companies offer varying levels of service for different prices.
Design your QR code. When you are using a paid service, you often have access to more custom QR codes, including logo embedding and unique styles and shapes. Use these tools to help make your QR code stand out.
Create codes. You can create codes that link to coupons, take the user to a store page, distribute business cards, link to your business’s Facebook page, or pretty much any other web-based action. Using you QR codes creatively is a major key to a successful QR campaign.
Deploy your codes. Once you have created your codes, start your marketing campaign. There are almost unlimited uses for QR codes, including print ads, websites, corporate business cards, TV commercials, billboards, and much more. Many QR code companies offer print and deployment services for the more expensive packages.
Track your campaign. The major benefit of using a paid QR service is the tracking functionality that is built in to professional codes. You will be able to track what codes your customers are using, how often they are using them, and which codes are performing better than others. You can use this information to fine-tune your marketing campaign.
Conclusion
At the most basic level, a QR code is a square matrix with a defined number of rows and columns. This square is divided into smaller squares with uniform size called modules. These modules are used to store bits of information using binary codes. When you scan a QR code using a cell phone or a camera, it will automatically transfer the data into a readable format. Some use this as an alternative method of bar code that can hold more information, but others just use it for decoration.