QR (Quick Response) 2D Barcode explained

This code originates in Japan. It was developed by Denso Wave in the 1990s and has been standardized by ISO only a few years ago. See link at the end of page for the detailed specification.

QR Code is a true 2D area barcode which requires a dedicated 2D barcode scanner to read it. It can encode up to about 2,000 characters. This is also the only barcode that can encode japanese Kanji characters.

Cellphone Barcode

In Japan the code is almost omnipresent. It's printed on billboards and ads and encodes URLs, web addresses and ICQ / IM contact information. The idea here is that people take a photo of the code with their cellphone, then have the code scanned with embedded software and point their phone's browser to the address encoded. Personalized codes on bills or invoices can be used to direct the user to pages for online payment.

German publisher Springer Verlag has a similar application with their periodical Welt kompakt. In the UK a novel approach of using QR code can be found "in the world's first QR magazine" here. Ads for print by Google also use the code as outlined here. However, the low resolution of most cellphone cameras and other issues that affect the readability of the barcode (lighting, distortion etc.) limit the amount of data that can be encoded to about 50 characters.

Embedding a Logo or Image in QR Code

As QR Code has a very high recovery ability (up to 30% of a symbol's area can be destroyed while still being decodable) it's possible to integrate logos or other visual information into the barcode, see for example the BBC Logo in QR.

Another example from a print ad in a german newspaper:

While this is arguably neat it defies the whole purpose of the error correction capability and should be avoided in "serious" applications of QR Code.

Sample QR Code

Sample barcode encodes the text "ABCDEFGH01234567":

Sample barcode created with our barcode plugin for Adobe Illustrator. More Barcode Software.

QR code is easily recognized from the distinctive finder patterns in the top-left, top-right and bottom-left corners. Due to the large finder patterns the code is larger than, for example, Datamatrix for small amounts of data (less than 40 characters). This code can also be used to encode binary data and accented characters, like german Umlauts. Note: Make sure your scanner actually reads that kind of data.

Software to create QR

Barcode Add In for Microsoft Word

Barcode Add In for Microsoft Excel

QR is standardized by ISO (ISO/IEC 18004:2006). Click for QR specification (ISO website).