Purchase Car2ds for any occasion: www.car2ds.com
Tag Reader app at: http://gettag.mobi
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Generating your own QR codes is easy but with so many different QR generator apps out there, it is worthwhile to choose one that has the most useful features and flexibility.

Here are some of the most popular mobile QR generator apps.

QR Code Generator by Excelsior Studios is a free mobile app that allows you to generate QR codes from your phone or tablet in seconds. You can save your codes or share them with your friends via SMS or email, as well as through Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. The QR generator also lets you share contact information on your mobile device with your friends, by letting them simply scan the code from the screen of your phone or tablet. The QR Code Generator can encode web addresses and shorten them using the built-in Google URL Shortener. It also allows you to enter a physical address and generate a code containing the exact coordinates of the location.

Barcode Generator/Reader by Sugree Phatanapherom is a free mobile QR generator app that allows you to generate and read QR codes. It supports phone numbers, SMS, MMS, event, email addresses, geographic information, text and URLs. You can accept text and share contact information through the “Share” feature. You can also easily save generated QR codes to your gallery, as well as edit information attached to a code.

My QR Code Generator by Betterclix Apps is a free mobile QR generator app that let you create QR codes from your mobile device without the need for an internet connection. You can use your QR code on name tags, business cards and websites, add it to your email signature, or easily share the code on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and other social networking sites. To use the QR generator app, just input your text, email address, phone number, URL and other information, then click “Generate.” The app will generate a QR code on your mobile device.

Other articles by this author:

Ready Aim Shop: QR Barcode Scanner Apps for Smartphones

Quick Response in an Emergency: How QR Codes Help Keep Students Safer at School

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Online labels can affect your life and business unlike any other medium. If your online label is positive it can open doors and opportunity around the world; but, if your online label is negative, doors will be shut and opportunities lost.

2d codes can assist in building a positive online label and identity for anybody, anything or any place, especially when they are branded. Take, for example, the “Perry Chen 2d Tag.” Perry is a ten year old film critic and animator. When I created this Tag for Perry, I took many things into consideration. It is important to me to respect the culture, talents and the unique symbols that are associated with the person. Perry Chen's 2d branded Tag is an important link to positive information, press releases, and news, that all enhance his image and allow for the continuous cultivation of his digital brand, or “online label.“

Perry Chen 2d Tag used with permission.

Use the Tag Reader app http://gettag.mobi to read 2d Logo Tags by daCosta, Microsoft Tag, QR Codes and NFC.

The Bar Code News is proud to feature creative and artistic uses of bar codes.  Other bar code artists interested in sharing their work may contact us here.

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Toyota Financial Services offers an app which can be downloaded onto a smart phone that allows a customer to pay bills through their account. Slightly different from just scanning a QR code that appears on a paper billing statement, the purpose of the app is to process customer payments more quickly and efficiently. iMingle offers car, home, and renter's insurance an online payment site so their customers can take care of statements by scanning the QR code that appears on their bills.

Apex provides an interface for bill payments by placing QR codes which can be scanned and the statements read by the client. By using the QR code as a means of accessing billing statements, those statements can then be paid for online through electronic banking. Paying bills online cuts down on paperwork, time and money for both the client and the companies. Apex creates innovative statements and invoices that increase the flow of money into businesses. Apex works closely with banks and healthcare providers in creating statements which are easy to understand by customers, in addition to saving paper and postage prices without compromising quality service. The company is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

One2One Communications has been creating high quality billing statements since 2002. Based in Wheeling, Illinois, the company offers improved money flow, and reduction in paper and statement expense to those who use their services.

Photo: QR code created by using the bar code generator at www.barcode.com.

http://www.toyotafinancial.com/consumer/tfs.portal

http://www.apexprint.com

http://www.imingle.com

http://www.one2onecom.com

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I was recently commissioned to create a custom 2d Tag for Marine Products of Utah specifically for a promotional T-shirt. I believe this to be the only shirt of it's kind on the planet.

One of the best features of Tag is the ability to generate a heat map of the location of a scan in real-time and actually get a birds eye view of the location of the scan. A Marine Products 2d T-shirt was scanned in the Wasatch Mountain Range of Utah at over 12,000 feet! How cool is that?

(Image reprinted with the permission of Marine Products of Utah.)

Use the Tag Reader app http://gettag.mobi to read 2d Logo Tags by daCosta, Microsoft Tag, QR Codes and NFC.

The Bar Code News is proud to feature creative and artistic uses of bar codes.  Other bar code artists interested in sharing their work may contact us here.

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Logos are the lynchpin when it comes to branding. Some logos are so recognizable that with just a glance we immediately know the who and what behind these one dimensional images. The philosophy behind the logo has not changed in over 2000 years: consistently broadcast and reinforce an image in order to create a link between the brand and the mind of the consumer.

With the emergence of 2D bar codes we can now fully exploit the power of the logo. 2d Logo Tags by daCosta are designed from the ground up to be scanned by a smart phone. They instantly connect the consumer to infinite digital content and the precise message or mission the brand is attempting to convey.

This is definitely not your fathers logo..

Use the Tag Reader app http://gettag.mobi to read 2d Logo Tags by daCosta, Microsoft Tag, QR Codes and NFC.

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But libraries and librarians have not become stuck in the past. The increasingly diverse evolution of technology has opened doors to a variety of users, at the same time making the librarian's work a little easier.

The newest technology is tied directly to the proliferation of smart phones. Many libraries across the country have adopted the Quick Response (QR) Code to harness, assimilate and disperse information to patrons and readers. For example, scanning QR Codes within a library may help the user find a specific book, get the call number, learn where the book is located within the library, and whether it is available. Other uses of QR codes include ways to copy scanned content for later use, the ability to email the information to someone else, and the ability to save the content.

This article highlights applications of QR codes in libraries across America, and is provided courtesy of Public Libraries Online.

Topeka and Shawnee County (Kansas) Public Library used QR Codes to create interest in The Maltese Falcon. The library created a community-wide scavenger hunt, that had to be solved via QR Codes. TSCPL partnered with several area businesses so that a QR code at each business gave participants clues to the next site. In some locations, the QR code led to a web page with questions about The Maltese Falcon. Participants answered the question (via a web-based form) and received the name and directions to the next stop in the game. Three hundred twenty-three people participated partially in the hunt. The library learned that people in Topeka knew what QR Codes are and how to use them, and it introduced the concept to businesses and media that were not aware of this technology.

Other libraries are equally creative:

• Lafayette College Library in Easton, Pennsylvania, used QR Codes in a game format to teach participants about the library.
• Syracuse University Library Learning Commons created bookmarks for their patrons that listed ways to contact a librarian for help. At the bottom of the bookmark is a QR Code that, when scanned, takes the user to the Research Assistance page on their website.
• Contra Costa County (California) Library partnered with Tri Delta Transit to provide instant access to free audiobooks and library services on the bus. Those with library cards and a smart phone riding the bus can choose from over 550 audiobook titles to wirelessly download directly to their cell phone and immediately listen to as they continue on their journey.
• Half Hollow Hills Community Library in New York is using QR Codes posted on the ends of their bookshelves that point to subject guides related to the topics of the books on those shelves.
• Lawrence University Seeley G. Mudd Library created a QR code information page to help patrons understand QR codes. It directs them to a virtual tour, electronic music resources, a mobile web site, and can even launch text messages to the interlibrary loan office, and more.
• Sacramento Public Library offers a QR code to patrons that will load the library's text message reference service info into the patron's phone. The code can be found on the Text 4 Answers page of the library website and the library's blog.
• University of Huddersfield Library is using QR Codes for linking to contact information, videos, text messaging reference service, and in the catalog records, providing basic info about items.
• Southwest Iowa Library Service Area (SWILSA) has begun a "shared" list of readalikes for various popular authors. A sheet of Codes can be printed on label stickersand then attached to shelves holding books by those authors.
• Providence College Library developed an introductory QR subject guide as a complement to their QR Code initiative.
• Tompkins County Public Library launched a QR Code campaign to advertise its downloadable eBook service, themed booklists and its social networking sites.

QR Codes are permeating the academic, cultural and consumer experience, and libraries are definitely in the mix, responding to demographic changes and reader preferences. Convenience, efficiency and just plain fun are now part of the library experience, with QR Codes as the conduit to information and entertainment.

libsuccess.org

publiclibrariesonline.org

QR Codes - Everything you always wanted to know*

QR Code News

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The SafetyTat website has a brief form that can be filled out with each child's basic information such as name, birth date, address, and phone number. Then a QR code is generated from this information and appears on the tattoo label's left hand side. When the QR code is scanned with a smart phone, the child's contact information is shown, and can be used to return the child safely to the parents. With the child's information embedded in the bar code, a lost child can feel safe, knowing that this bar code tattoo will help him or her get home safely.

Placing the SafetyTat bar code tattoo on a child's arm can be done in several easy steps. The inside of the arm works best as this part is shielded from rain and cannot be rubbed off as easily. A small wipe is provided with the tattoo that will remove any oil or dirt from a child's arm. The bar code tattoo is then removed from its protective backing and placed on the desired area of the child's arm. Firm pressure is gently applied for 20 seconds to make sure the label adheres properly. No type of lotion or liquid including sunscreen and alcohol should be placed on or around the tattoo as that will make it fade. To remove the tattoo, lift a corner and slowly peel back. When peeling off, do not keep the lifted edge raised straight up, but roll it back over itself.

SafetyTat is the invention of a mother with three children who initially attempted to write her children's contact information in ballpoint pen on their arms. With a temporary tattoo, however, that did not wash off as easily as the pen and ensured a child's safety should he or she get separated from the parent. These temporary bar code tattoos can be purchased directly online through their website or at any of the brick-and-mortar stores listed in their directory.

http://www.safetytat.com/qr/

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If you are not yet familiar with the 2D barcode, here is a brief overview:  2D barcodes, (two-dimensional barcodes), also referred to as QR Codes, stem from one-dimensional barcodes. Most people are familiar with the1D vertical striped code because it has been prevalent throughout the retail industry for many years.  The 2D barcode is a graphical image that utilizes both vertical and horizontal lines, creating a much greater storage capacity than the original 1D barcode. These 2D barcodes can be scanned with most any smartphone to retrieve information about the product it is found on.

Can you think of some other potential green uses for 2D codes such as the Microsoft Tag?

Get the Microsoft Tag app to scan the Tag.

Follow the TagMaster on Facebook.

The Bar Code News is proud to feature creative and artistic uses of bar codes.  Other bar code artists interested in sharing their work may contact us here.

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Creative 1D Bar Codes: The Wave of the Future

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Reports indicate that QR codes, the square 2D bar codes now seen almost everywhere, could be the next open door to nonprofit fundraising. Scanning the QR code with a smartphone can take the user directly to a website with information the organization wants to showcase and an opportunity for fundraising. Of course, the nonprofit’s specially-designed and designated website must be visually enticing, compelling, targeted to the appropriate demographic and emotionally charged to elicit a positive donor response. It should also be optimized for viewing on mobile devices.

There are several ways nonprofits can use QR codes for fundraising. As with all outreach campaigns, the various elements of the campaign must be integrated and designed to build upon and complement each other.

For example, a direct mail fundraising appeal can contain general information with a QR code printed on the piece to encourage donations or to provide additional motivation. A plus to this approach is the ability to track responses and capture reader information such as email addresses and comments.

How many times have you received a donation solicitation from a cause you support, but don’t have time at the moment to respond? The mail gets put in a pile and possibly forgotten. Smart nonprofits are now putting QR codes on their fundraising letters so donors can scan and respond immediately.

If a special event is part of the campaign, nonprofits can use the QR code on posters, programs, flyers and other material distributed on site. This will provide an opportunity for participants to access the detailed information about the campaign. Fundraising envelopes printed with the QR code can also make it easier for donors to scan, read, get motivated and give, either on-site or later when they’ve had a chance to review your cause. Be sure to add “How to Donate” as part of your destination website’s information.

Boston Medical printed their QR code on a flyer distributed at the hospital’s annual Halloween party. Scanning the code led participants to more information about fundraising opportunities to support the hospital’s charitable endeavors.

In another example, the Boston Herald noted that The Salvation Army has begun using QR codes next to the red buckets found in front of most stores during the holidays.  "The code is a great alternative for those who pass by our kettles, but don’t have any change in their pockets to give," said Maj. Ivan Rock, general secretary of the Massachusetts Salvation Army.

(photo by Ted Fitzgerald)

Some nonprofits use billboards as informational and directional sources. With a QR code on the billboard, potential donors and/or volunteers can scan the code to learn more about your organization while on the go.

For nonprofits exhibiting at trade shows, the QR code is a great way to stimulate responses to a contest while collecting contact information for future fundraising. By responding to just three or four questions, name, company, phone and email, the participants have a chance to interact with the nonprofit website, provide vital information for continued outreach, and enter to win a prize.

Because QR codes are still relatively unique in the nonprofit world, an innovative idea is to put the “buzz factor” to work by having the codes imprinted on merchandise that promotes the organization. Besides being a great conversation piece, the codes provide an opportunity for scanning while sharing a cup of coffee or jogging in a code-imprinted tee shirt.

A study by Weber Shandwick and KRC Research showed that nonprofit professionals believe the use of QR codes can increase fundraising, help raise awareness of their organization, keep external audiences engaged and reduce costs relative to traditional media.

With the donor base for nonprofits centered around 30- to 50-somethings, the use of technology, and particularly QR codes, in nonprofit fundraising is expected to continue and grow.

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QR Codes - Everything you always wanted to know*

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