QR = Quick Response
Scan the QR code with a bar-code reader on your web-enabled phone; information is transmitted to your device.
QR codes can be used for more than web sites. Create & return text:
Here are a few ways QR codes are being used by the Instructional Resource Center, Ashland University Library. From images placed on the library digital sign to simple paper book marks in new children's books, they are easy to create and put in place.
Are the QR codes used? After a recent class session on the second floor, it was fun seeing student gathered around the literature rack with their phones scanning QR codes!
* Slide-show note: Mouse roll-over on images provides more information.
Two persistent questions about QR codes and their usage are (1) do they have to be black and, (2) does URL size/length matter when generating the code? Consider the following example; the two QR codes were generated for AU Library's Instructional Resource Center News & Information Blog.
Color: These QR codes were colorized in PowerPoint, their original black color was adjusted to purple using one of the preset options. It seems to work more quickly when a clear white area is displayed with the selected color, but overall color is not an issue as long as the pattern remains clear to the scanner.
The QR Code and 2D Code Generator listed with QR Generators & Apps provides users with an option to change the foreground and background color (and size) immediately. It's a nice time-saving option and allows for selection from a color grid or entering an exiting html color code.
URL Length: Results of this experiment were a surprise. In both instances the code was created using the Kaywa Code Generator and the size choice set to XL.
After a few additional experiments with other URLs, a longer URL consistently generated a larger QR Code.