QR Codes

QR codes, are similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products. The key difference between them is the amount of data they can hold or share. Typical bar codes hold only 20 numerical digits, whereas QR codes can store up to 7089 numeric characters, 4296 alphanumeric characters or 2953 bytes of data (8-bit binary).

When you scan or read a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone with a QR Code Reader App, the QR code can link to digital content on the web; activate a number of phone functions (including email, IM and SMS) or connect to a web browser. Several popular free QR Code Reader Apps are shown in the sidebar.

More and more of these little coded boxes are popping up in magazines, billboards, and store windows. It is simple in concept but remarkably useful to connect people with each other and to multimedia digital content. There’s no limit to how, or even how much, you can share with QR codes.

APMG has embraced this technology and we are test piloting QR codes on advertising pieces, client marketing, and even pathology reports. The codes link to contact information, Google maps for directions to our business, educational/reference materials for clinicians and patients, cancer sites, and customer feedback forms.

All of our business cards now include two QR codes on the back; one is a link to the APMG member’s personal website and the other to vCard information. the latter QR code allows contact information to be easily uploaded into the smartphone.