It is useful to have a poster printed to let people surf to your website, but we also use it, for example, to quickly make an appointment to have a package delivered: QR codes. However, QR codes can contain much more information than just a link to a website. It may also contain number codes or a short piece of text.
QR codes were once developed by Toyota in Japan to quickly identify individual parts. QR stands for Quick Response, which means that the code can be read quickly and shows information almost immediately. That's also true, provided you have a QR reader. These are sometimes special devices such as you see at events, but it is also possible with an app on the phone, such as Google Lens. You will see that QR codes often contain a website, which your phone also surfs directly to after scanning the code.
QR codes
You can recognize a QR code by the accumulation of small black blocks on a white background. Precisely because it is a square, information can be read both horizontally and vertically, just like a magic square. You scan it with your phone, after which it converts the code into information.
This can be anything: contact details, a website or a piece of text. A QR code can fit 4296 characters, but the more characters, the smaller the pixels. So keep it as short as possible, so that you can be sure that your QR code is still easy to read.
If you want to create a QR code, you will find numerous free websites on the internet where you can go, including //nl.qr-code-generator.com/. Often simple QR codes are made in this way, but you have to pay money for the QR codes that consist of more characters. There are also QR codes where you can see how often they have been used, but those too often cost money.
Create QR code
If you just want something simple, you can do that right away on the aforementioned website. For example, you can create a QR code that allows your guests to access the Wi-Fi right away. You only have to click on it at 'Wifi', fill in your details and the QR code is created within a fraction of a second.
There are also several apps in which you can generate QR codes, so it really doesn't always have to be in the browser. You can use them for a lot more than you might think. We often see them refer to websites, but there are dozens of applications that can be envisaged. Some teachers use them to let students scan the answer to their homework and there are also people who use QR codes to send an instant text message.
Another option is www.qr-genereren.nl. An advantage of that website is that you can also get a scalable file format, such as EPS. These are useful if you want to print the QR code on a poster, for example. If you print a QR code on paper, make sure it is at least two centimeters so that it can be properly scanned by all phones.
QR codes are not only useful on tickets, they are also a smart advertising method. You often see it in toilets in public places: there is a poster with a QR code on the door. You often see it at conferences that people scan a QR code to complete a survey about how they experienced the conference. Or to simply wish your readers something nice: