What Is A Barcode?
Anybody who shops must have seen barcodes, but whether or not they are aware that they are looking at a barcode is another story entirely!
A barcode is a graphic representation of data that can be read by computers about the item it is connected to.
For the average consumer, a barcode seems like a tiny box with a few narrow black parallel lines printed on the product package.
This is not just another box that is written on the product’s cover; it also includes significant data, such as the name of the maker, the type of item, the price, etc., that can only be accessed by specialised barcode scanners. It is also known as linear or 1D-1-dimensional since it only stores data in a horizontal orientation.
What Is A QR Code?
A barcode is a type of quick response code, sometimes known as a QR code. In actuality, it resembles a barcode. It has machine-readable data about the item it is connected to, just like a barcode does. A QR code, on the other hand, differs from a standard barcode in that it is two-dimensional and holds data both vertically and horizontally.
A lot of information is contained in QR codes. Everyone has the ability to generate their own QR code and connect it to their items, from huge corporations to the neighbourhood grocery shop.
Due to the proliferation of smartphones over the past ten years, QR codes have become more and more common. On smartphones, there are certain QR code scanner applications that may be downloaded at no cost. Thus, when you see a QR code, simply scan it using the app on your phone. The app often utilises the phone’s primary camera to scan the code, which triggers the pre-programmed action that is associated with the code, such as accessing a website, tweeting, installing an app, etc.
How Does A QR Code Differ From A Barcode?
Although barcodes and QR codes both have the fundamental function of recording data about a specific item or business, there are some significant distinctions between the two.
One of the biggest differences comes in terms of the differences between their design or simply how they look.
This also holds true for the two codes’ layout. A QR code is referred to as a “2-dimensional code” because it contains information in both the horizontal and vertical directions, unlike a barcode, which only carries information in one way. A QR code holds a hundred times more information than a barcode and has the ability to store more data in a smaller area than a barcode because of this structural difference.
This is unquestionably the most appealing benefit of QR codes over traditional barcodes. The mistake rate for QR codes is 7–30%.
Simply explained, a QR code still functions even if the product’s packaging or the printed code is tampered with or dirty.
Companies and corporations are using this functionality in an intelligent way. They may (and do) insert a little logo or an image within the code to make it more recognisable to the company in issue thanks to the error-correction capability.
While bar codes have been used for many years, the popularity of QR codes has only recently increased due to the increase in smartphone ownership among customers. And it appears that QR codes will continue to be used until the popularity of augmented reality results in the development of a completely new coding system.
