We have just released our inaugural QR Code Trends Report on QR code creation and scanning. During 2011 more than 2.7 million QR codes were created at QRStuff.com putting us in a unique position to report on the trends of QR code creation and related scan events.
To receive a free copy of the 11 page report* in its entirety, please click here.
Report Highlights:
There was a 1253% increase in the number of QR Codes created during 2011; While it took three and a half years for the first million QR codes to be created on the QRStuff.com website, the second million came around in less than three months, with that milestone being reached at the start of Q4 2011.
The United States, Canada and the UK lead in QR code creation and scanning, with 69% of QR codes created and 87% of scan events recorded;
There has been an increase in QR code activity in rural and regional areas (non-metropolitan) in the US;
Globally, the use of QR codes is on the increase with scan events recorded from 200 countries during 2011 (up from the 142 in 2010). Late in the year, we recorded scan events from Cape Verde, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan for the first time ever;
Despite having over 20 QR code data types available, over 63% of all QR Codes created were linked to a website URL;
54% of QR Codes scans were done using iOS devices, with iPads accounting for almost 2% of all scans;
To receive a free copy of the report* in its entirety, please click here.
If you require more information about this report please email pr@qrstuff.com
*By downloading the report, you will also be subscribed to our QRStuff.com newsletter.
I saw a tweet the other day from Sarah announcing that she’d made a Shrinky Dink dog tag from a QR codes she’d made at QRStuff.com so I emailed her for some more information.
The process I followed to make my dog tags was as follows:
Create a vCard QR code with your contact details at www.qrstuff.com.
Download the QR code image and enlarge it to 3 times the desired finished size.
I hand traced it onto some Shrinky Dinks plastic although they’ve got an InkJet printer version now.
Cut out desired shape and punch a hole in it.
Bake it as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Insert a jump ring into the hole and thread some bead chain through jump ring.
Part of the robustness of QR codes in the physical environment is their ability to sustain “damage” and continue to function even when a part of the QR code image is obscured, defaced or removed.
This is acheived by using the Reed-Solomon Error Correction algorithm – some serious algebra that happens in background when the QR code is created. The original data in the QR code is converted into a polynomial, the number of unique points required to uniquely define that polynomial is determined, and this point set is added back into the QR code so that it then also contains the original data expressed as a polynomial.
If that description threatened to make your head explode, just call it “mathematically adding backup data to the QR code”.
There are 4 error correction levels used for QR codes, with each one adding different amounts of “backup” data depending on how much damage the QR code is expected to suffer in its intended environment, and hence how much error correction may be required:
Level L – up to 7% damage
Level M – up to 15% damage
Level Q – up to 25% damage
Level H – up to 30% damage
A fundamental part of the way QR codes work is that the more data you put into them, the more rows and columns of modules will be introduced into the QR code to compensate for the increased data load. As the error correction level increases, this means there will also be an increase in the number of rows and columns of modules required to store the original data plus the increasing amount of backup codewords. This is shown in the diagram below – the QR code becomes more dense as the error correction increases from Level L to Level H even though the QR codes contain exactly the same website URL.
Quite conveniently, there’s also 2 modules down in the bottom left-hand corner of every QR code that display what the error correction level used in that QR code is.
So here are the take-outs:
The lower the error correction level, the less dense the QR code image is, which improves minimum printing size.
The higher the error correction level, the more damage it can sustain before it becomes unreadabale.
Level L or Level M represent the best compromise between density and ruggedness for general marketing use.
Level Q and Level H are generally recommended for industrial environments where keeping the QR code clean or un-damaged will be a challenge.
As an aside, this is also one of the reasons why a QR code containing the same data will look different depending on which QR code generator you use – it depends on the error correction level being used by that particular website. Even though there is a single ISO standard for QR codes, there are variables within the ISO standard (error correction level being one of them) that will result in a different looking QR code image based on how that particular QR code creation website sets these variables.
This doesn’t mean that any particular QR code generator is any more or any less standards-compliant than any other, it just means that the people behind the different generators have made different choices when setting the underlying technical specifications and parameters for the QR codes that their website creates.
Posted: December 5th, 2011 | Author:admin | Filed under:General | Comments Off
One of these questions actually came in overnight which prompted me to think that I should probably share with you some of the more “interesting” customer tech support questions I’ve had over the past 3 and a bit years.
These are real questions from real people and indicate that the QR code learning curve is a bit steeper for some, but I endeavoured to answer all of them in a helpful and respectful manner.
In no particular order, here’s my 10 favourites:
My phone doesn’t have a camera. What scanning app should I use?
I made a QR code with my cell phone number in it but every time I scan it with my phone I get my voicemail. Can you help me to get it to work?
I put a QR code for my website in my email signature but when I click on it nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?
Can you make a QR code that links to another QR code?
If I change the color of my QR code will it still link to the same website?
I scanned a QR code in a magazine ad and it took me to their website but they didn’t have what I wanted. Can I make it go to another website?
The QR code works fine using the camera my iPhone, but why won’t it scan with my digital camera?
My QR code links to a Powerpoint that’s on my home computer. Why won’t it work at my office?
Can your analytics tell me how many people saw our QR code but didn’t scan it?
Why do my QR codes only scan properly when the internet on my phone is turned on?
I’ll also give an honorable mention to the enquiry about a QR code in braille that vision-impaired people could use.
Here’s some insights into the way the QR world was in November from our database of 2.35 million QR codes created on the QRStuff.com website.
Looking at the way the website is being used, the QR codes that are being created, and the scan events that are being recorded, the hotspot cities and states for overall QR code activity during November, together with the relative increase in activity over the past 6 months for that city or state, were as follows:
Top 10 Cities – Nov 2011
Position
City
6 Month Increase
1
New York
133%
2
Chicago
107%
3
Los Angeles
104%
4
Houston
97%
5
San Francisco
148%
6
Denver
81%
7
Dallas
145%
8
Seattle
86%
9
Atlanta
151%
10
Austin
95%
Top 10 States – Nov 2011
Position
State
6 Month Increase
1
California
133%
2
Texas
140%
3
Florida
120%
4
New York
124%
5
Illinois
103%
6
Pennsylvania
125%
7
Georgia
148%
8
North Carolina
157%
9
Ohio
129%
10
Michigan
112%
One interesting take-out is that for many states, rural and regional QR code activity is rapidly catching up to city usage as QR codes become more common and their use more pervasive.
If you’re after a custom QR code you need look no further than QRlicious. Logos, branding, colors, and cool graphic effects that your customers won’t be able to resist scanning.
And if you have a QR Stuff subscription (even a 24 hour $3.95 subscription) here’s how easy it is to create your QR code and get it over to the boys at QRlicious for customising:
The mobile version of a Google Places™ business listing page can be difficult to find and link to, but by using a combination of the link tool in your Google Places™ page, a slight modification to the URL provided by the linking tool, and a QR code, you can give your mobile-enabled customers simple and immediate access to your business information with just a simple 5 step process.
Go to your Google Places™ page and click the link icon in the top right corner of the page.
Copy the URL provided by the Link Tool.
Paste the URL provided by the Link Tool into a text editor and remove the bits highlighted in yellow so that it looks like the second URL shown. Why? The URL provided by the Link Tool displays your Places page in a desktop browser but goes to a Google Map™ on a mobile device. By modifying the URL in the manner shown it becomes the URL of the mobile version of your Google Places™ page instead.
Remove the “maps.” including the full stop
Remove “aps” from the second instance of “maps”
Remove all of the “q=xxxx” bit including the trailing “&”
Got to www.qrstuff.com, select the “Website URL” data type and paste the modified URL from Step #3 into the “Website URL” input box
Click the “Download Image” button to download your QR code image. That’s it – all done!
A QR code can be easily created containing your phone number and your pre-written text message so that when scanned it opens up the SMS client on the phone of the person scanning it, and then pre-populates the “To” number field and the “Message” field with the information you placed into the QR code.
With your message and your phone number already on-screen, all the person scanning the QR code has to do is press “Send” for it to come back to you as a regular SMS message, together with the senders phone number. Nothing for them to type in, just a “Send” button to press!
For the savvy SMS marketer the engagement possibilities for this type of QR code are huge:
Sales – On advertising material promoting the new model and containing the message “I’d like to test drive the new 2011 Camaro” that comes back to salesman’s phone.
User Support – On the printed instructions for a product with the caption “Need help? Scan this and we’ll ring you back”. The QR code would contain a message like “I need help with product XYZ” and would be pre-coded with the cell number for your customer support team.
On-Request Product Upgrades – Where a paid option is available for a free service this sort of QR code could be included when the free service is delivered with a call to action “Upgrade Now” which would follow through to a call-back to the customer by the sales team.
Opt-In SMS Registration – A QR code containing the message “Yes, send me SMS product updates”. Since the phone number of the sender is included in the return message, they can then be easily included in the SMS customer database for the approved delivery of future messages/promotions by SMS.
Here’s the process for creating a QR code containing a pre-formatted SMS message.
Go to the QR Stuff website and select “SMS Message” as the Data Type in column 1
In column 2 (Content) enter your phone number and the message you would like to receive (eg; “I’d like to test drive the new 2011 Camaro”)
Click on the “Download Image” link under the preview image to download your finished QR code.
You now have a QR code with a pre-formatted SMS message in it that’s ready to be sent back to you from the phone of the person who scans it, and by them sending you the SMS message, you also now have their phone number for a call back. Easy!
In my previous post, What Size Should A Printed QR Code Be, I mentioned that it wasn’t the size of the QR code image that determined the minimum size at which a QR code could be scanned, it was actually the size of the modules (the little black squares) that make up the QR code image. If the size of the modules fall below the resolution limit of the camera then the QR code won’t be able to be read by the device.
A fundamental part of the way QR codes work is that the more data you put into them, the more rows and columns of modules will be introduced into the QR code to compensate for the increased data load. Hence, for a QR code image of a certain size (width), the more data it contains, the more rows and columns of modules it has and, logically, the smaller each of the modules then become as a result.
So it’s all about whether the camera can actually “see” the smallest element in the QR image – the individual modules.
Another factor that influences minimum QR code size is the scanning distance – the distance the phone is held away from the QR code image. The further away the QR code is, the smaller it appears in the camera viewport, and so the smaller the modules will appear too. Once again, if the camera is held too far away, the modules become too small for the camera to read and the QR code won’t work.
The following table shows the theoretical minimum width of a printed QR code image for a given scanning distance, based on the minimum size an individual module needs to be when viewed by the camera. The assumptions here are that an 3-4 megapixel camera is being used (lower resolution cameras would need the QR code image to be even larger to “see” it), and a black QR code on a white background is being used.
The data shown is:
Modules: Number of rows and columns of little black squares in the QR code image.
Characters: Approximate number of characters that would normally fit into a QR code with that many modules using binary data encoding (most do) and Level L error correction.
Scan Distance: The distance the camera is being held away from the printed QR code.
So for instance, a QR code image with 72 characters of data would end up with 35 rows and columns of modules, and would need to be 42mm (1.7″) wide to be successfully scanned from 300mm (12″) away, but only 21mm (0.8″) wide if the scanning device was only 150mm (6″) away.
QR Code Minimum Size
Modules
Characters
Scan Distance
150mm (6″)
300mm (12″)
450mm (18″)
25
26
15mm (0.6″)
30mm (1.2″)
46mm (1.8″)
30
49
18mm (0.7″)
36mm (1.4″)
55mm (2.1″)
35
72
21mm (0.8″)
42mm (1.7″)
64mm (2.5″)
40
98
24mm (0.9″)
48mm (1.9″)
73mm (2.9″)
45
125
27mm (1.1″)
54mm (2.1″)
82mm (3.2″)
50
163
30mm (1.2″)
60mm (2.4″)
91mm (3.6″)
55
203
33mm (1.3″)
66mm (2.6″)
100mm (3.9″)
60
249
36mm (1.4″)
72mm (2.8″)
109mm (4.3″)
65
298
39mm (1.5″)
78mm (3.1″)
118mm (4.7″)
70
351
42mm (1.7″)
84mm (3.3″)
127mm (5.0″)
75
407
45mm (1.8″)
90mm (3.5″)
137mm (5.4″)
80
468
48mm (1.9″)
96mm (3.8″)
146mm (5.7″)
85
534
51mm (2.0″)
102mm (4.0″)
155mm (6.1″)
90
601
54mm (2.1″)
108mm (4.3″)
164mm (6.4″)
95
669
57mm (2.2″)
114mm (4.5″)
173mm (6.8″)
100
739
60mm (2.4″)
120mm (4.7″)
182mm (7.2″)
Here’s a few examples to give you an idea of what QR codes look like as their data load gets higher, resulting in the modules getting smaller and the QR code image becoming more dense.
There’s always been a need to password protect web content for security or privacy, but with QR codes being, by their very nature, very public, password protecting the QR code itself to limit access to the content it links to can add a “softer” security layer to that content.
“Locking down” the content with a password barrier actually on the website limits access for anyone who arrives at that page, regardless of how they arrived there, but being able to limit public access to it only for visitors that come in through one channel – the QR code – can sometimes be handy if there’s no password functionality on the website itself.
So, why would you have a password on the QR code, but not on the section of the website it links to? Sometimes a QR code can make publicly available content just too public.
In its simplest form a password protected QR code can be used for “privacy”, like closing a door but leaving it unlocked to stop people aimlessly wandering in, through to “security” to put a limit on open public access to content that isn’t password protected in its own right, or isn’t accessible via any other means apart from the QR code itself.
Examples would be:
Prying Eyes: Content intended only for members, customers, family, classmates, etc that you’d like to keep semi-private.
Pre-Release: Linked content that isn’t finished or ready for public release yet, but the QR code linking to it has to be published publicly on promotional material beforehand.
Competitions: Content related to a promotion where participants are issued with a pin number or password, and only the “winners” with the correct password get through to a prize page.
Private Viewing: Linking to content on someone else’s website that isn’t password protected, but you would still prefer to limit access to that remote content via your QR code.
Field Testing: QR code campaign or deployment testing that needs to be done publicly while still maintaining the privacy of the linked content.
Customers Only: Limiting access to people in-house, in-store or in-venue who have passed some sort of threshold in the physical space eg; they’ve paid, ordered, signed in, registered, etc while on the premises and who are then issued with a printed receipt or docket showing the password to access the content behind the QR code, whether it be at a gym, a parking station, a restaurant, a clinic, etc.
Private events in public places: Whether it’s the driving directions to a party posted on a power pole down at the highway turn-off, or the QR codes scattered across town as part of a treasure hunt, a simple password on the QR code will limit access to the information just to those who are supposed to have it.
Private equipment in public places: Service tags, useage statistics or specifications data for plant and equipment linked with QR codes can be access-limited to only employees or service staff even if the equipment, and the QR codes on them, are in public view.
Make A Password Protected QR Code At QRStuff.com
Being able to password-protect a QR code is part of the feature set for QR Stuff subscribers.
Log into your subscriber account and go to your account history page.
Click the “Manage” tab for the QR code you want to password-protect to open up the Management panel.
QR codes that are able to be password protected (ie; you have used our URL shortner with them) will have a “Password Protect” link.
A pop-up will allow you to turn password protection on (or off) and specify the password for that QR code. Click “Save” and it’s done.
…and here’s what it looks like from the scanning end (the password is 123456):
Yes, I know a QR code should link to mobile content but there isn’t a mobile version of the QRStuff website (yet)
We have just released our inaugural QR Code Trends Report on QR code creation and scanning. During 2011 more than 2.7 million QR codes were created at QRStuff.com putting us in a unique position to report on the trends of QR code creation and related scan events.
I saw a tweet the other day from Sarah announcing that she’d made a Shrinky Dink dog tag from a QR codes she’d made at 
One of these questions actually came in overnight which prompted me to think that I should probably share with you some of the more “interesting” customer tech support questions I’ve had over the past 3 and a bit years. 
Here’s some insights into the way the QR world was in November from our database of 2.35 million QR codes created on the 
In my previous post, 
