QR Code

A QR code (Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional barcode originally developed by the Japanese company Denso Wave in 1994. It stores far more data than a 1D barcode — up to 7,000 characters depending on encoding.

Today QR codes are mostly used to push a URL onto a smartphone fast: business cards, restaurant menus, posters, packaging, TV ads, print campaigns, conference badges. Since iOS 11 and Android 8, the native camera app auto-detects QR codes — no separate scanner app required.

Two flavors: static QR codes (the URL is baked into the code) and dynamic QR codes (the code points to a short link whose destination you can change anytime). For marketing campaigns, dynamic almost always wins — you can update the destination after printing.