A QR-Code, long form „Quick Response Code„, is a two-dimensional code in which several thousand characters are encoded. Basically, it consists of many black and white dots that represent the data in binary form. These form a square, which contains three more squares in the two top corners and the bottom left corner. Those squares serve as orientation points for the scanner. The remaining pattern of the code contains the stored information. If the code is scanned, for example with an app or the camera of a mobile phone, the information previously stored by the creator is shown. Such codes are generated with the help of a QR-Code-Generator. Visually, the codes can usually be adapted in terms of colour or by integrating one’s own logo so that they fit in with one’s own company / corporate design.
There are many uses for QR-Codes, but in general they are used far more by companies than by private individuals. With their help, companies can provide their customers information in a cost-effective and space-saving way. Due to an automatic error correction, the codes are very robust and its use is hardly error-prone. Even if up to 30% of the code is lost, it remains readable.
In general, a distinction is made between two basic types: static and dynamic QR-Codes. The essential difference lies in the changeability: while a dynamic QR-Code can be adapted at any time and its deposited target can be exchanged, a static one can never be changed.
