What is a QR code?
QR codes are mostly seen on flyers, stickers, cards, etc. QR code stands for “Quick Response”. It is kind of a type of barcode but with vertical and horizontal patterns which change after every few seconds. There is a yearly share of $5.5 trillion in mobile payments from China, flowing through a QR code on various apps.
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What are QR codes used for?
The main purpose of a QR code is to track the information about products in a supply chain. They contain information such as websites, videos, email addresses, contact numbers, files, VCards, etc. They are mostly used in marketing and advertising. Recently, QR codes were used in detecting the exposure of the CoronaVirus.
In 1994 Denso Wave developed the first QR code technology, a Toyota subsidiary. The technology was made as they wanted to check the car parts production with just a scan. To do this, they made a barcode that could encode kanji, kana, and alphanumeric characters. A single bar code can encode 4296 alphanumeric characters.
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What is a QR code Scanner or a QR code reader?
A QR code reader or a QR code scanner is an optical device that has the ability to scan QR codes. Many iPads and Smartphones have built-in QR code scanners in their cameras whereas a PC requires a webcam to scan the QR code.
How to scan a QR code from a smartphone?
Smartphones have a built-in QR code scanner so it is quite easy to scan QR codes from them. Follow the steps:
· Turn on your smartphone’s camera.
· Point it on the QR you would like to scan.
· Once a QR code is scanned, it gives a “pop-up” notification which is basically access to its content.
· After scanning the QR code, the QR code reader may do actions such as viewing the website URL in your browser.
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How to scan a QR code from your PC?
Scanning a QR code from a PC is a bit challenging but the process is simple. Follow the steps:
· Turn on the QR code scanner or QR code reader
· The tool will ask you to either upload a picture or use the webcam (the webcam should be attached to your PC) to scan the QR code.
· If you are using a webcam, then you need to point the webcam at the QR code to be scanned and then you are good to go.
Why is my QR code not working?
There are many reasons why someone is unable to detect your QR code but some of the common ways are mentioned below:
· If the QR code is generated by you, cross-check the code. Sometimes there are minor mistakes that can be easily made by human hands and can damage the original QR code.
· Some QR codes contain a lot of information which creates problems to give you access to it. Try reducing the information so that it can help the QR code scanner to read the data in a better way.
· If your QR code contains a logo then try removing that. The logo might be blocking the way for the scanner to scan the code.
· If the foreground of the QR code is darker than the background then the scanner won’t be able to scan it. Make sure the QR code is in black color with a white background.
· The QR code size is the major thing you need to take care of along with the scanning distance and the amount of data to be encoded.
How to calculate the right size for my QR code?
Follow the formula:
QR Code Size = Scanning distance ÷ 10
For instance, you need a QR for your advertising flyer and the distance between the scanning device and the flyer is 12 inches (1 foot) then the size of your QR code will be 1.2 inches.
To get the ideal size of your QR code, follow the given formula:
QR Code Size (width in inches or cm) = (Scanning distance (in inches or cm)* Number of rows and columns) /250
Moreover, the number of rows and columns of modules is determined with the help of the version number. There are 40 versions in total.
For instance, a vCard usually consists of 33 rows and columns and if the scanning distance is 6 inches (0.5 feet) then the size of the QR code will be 0.8 inches.
How to increase QR code security?
· Always cross-check the company of the specific QR code.
· Make sure the company is trustable otherwise do not scan the QR code.
· QR codes are displayed with a link address, make sure to check the authenticity of the landing page.
