Barcodes vs. Quick Response Codes
It is very easy to confuse a ‘barcode’ with a ‘quick response code’. Quick response codes are 2-d barcodes that hold much more information than a typical barcode. Standard barcodes are usually only capable of storing around 20 digits of data while QR codes can hold over 7,000- that’s about 350 times the data! This is because barcodes must be created horizontally whereas QR codes can have information spread vertically and horizontally thus increasing the data storage space. Barcodes have been around much longer than QR codes although they have not changed very much since their creation, which is what makes quick response codes so much more appealing for both business and personal uses. Quick response codes are also able to be customized with bright colors and logos, while typical barcodes must remain in black and white and keep the same, identical design. This makes QR codes ‘pop’ more in comparison to regular barcodes, which draws more attention to the Quick response code, leading to more QR code scans. Each time the code is scanned, the information within it is exposed to the person that scanned the code. This makes the process of advertising quick and much more fun for users than traditional methods. QR codes are also able to be tracked so that businesses are able to see how effective their QR codes are at drawing attention and bringing in customers when used in marketing or advertising. It is believed that eventually, all standard barcodes will be replaced with the use of quick response codes.