QR code symbols and font glyphs

Imagine being able to place your favorite QR codes in any document anywhere at the touch of a key on your keyboard.  Considering that printed QR codes have the most intrinsic value it nearly seems fundamental that these should be available for publishing at a key stroke.

Having your QR codes as a font means you can publish them in any document at any time and at any size. So whether you place your vCard QR code at the bottom of all your stationary, or as a designer put your Facebook like QR code on a giant poster, the same QR font set is perfectly suitable. This is because fonts are scalable to any size, from micro printing to massive billboards the font will always give a perfect sharp representation.

How QR code fonts work

A QR code is a two dimensional bar-code built with square blocks. Each block is made of four lines and then filled with a colour, preferably black. All the blocks of a QR code are placed as a 'glyph' into a 'font' and assigned to a specific letter of the alphabet. Consider placing your Twitter QR code under the letter 'T' and the Facebook QR code under the letter 'F'. In this way it is possible to place any QR code of any complexity under any key of your keyboard.

Even designer QR codes can be used as a font provided the design in monotone (one colour)

QR code font example

Provided is a free downloadable TrueType QR code alphabet font that instead of letters and numbers has a QR code that represents each letter and number (ASCII only for now). I don't think it idea to use to publish your next novel, but does show that QR codes are perfectly at home and usable as a font.

QR Code Alphabet Font PC compatible Mac compatible Linux compatible Usable with any word processor Universally scalable Download as TrueType Font File Download as Zip File

QR Code Font Service

QR4 offers the service to turn your QR code collection into a font to enable you to publish your QR codes anywhere and at anytime. For more information about QR code fonts and what they can do for you, please contact us.

How to put a QR code generator into your website or blog with one line of (cut and paste) HTML.

Just copy and paste the line of code below into any webpage of your site.

<iframe width="560" height="300" src="https//www.qr4.nl/igen.aspx?key=MYKEYVALUE" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Replace MYKEYVALUE with your *free key you can collect at the QR Code API Key Generator, and you are in business and should see a QR Code Generator that looks like this:

Personalizing and translating the QR code generator to meet your needs

With some simple instrictions you can configure the QR code generator to meet your website colours, fonts and even translate the text to the language of your choice. Complete information on customizing the look and feel as well as translation options can be found on the 'Iframe QR Code Generator' page.

What is QR code error recovery

Error recovery in QR codes allows pieces of information in the QR code to be damaged or missing and still have the ability to be read correctly. In a nutshell, it does this by using some very clever complex algorithms to place 'compressed duplicated' information in different places of the QR code, so if some data goes missing it can (try too) reconstruct the missing pieces using the remainder of the existing code.

There are four different settings available that can be chosen from before creating the QR code, Each one allows for a different amount of data loss.

7% Loss Recovery	15% Loss recovery	25% Loss Recovery	30% Loss Recovery

So why not always make QR codes that support 30% loss recovery?

The higher the damage recovery percentage, the more room is needed inside the QR code to encode and store the information vital to recovery. Below is a URL QR code of the same URL and created using the four different error compensation selections.

7% fault tolerant	15% fault tolerant	25% fault tolerant	30% fault tolerant

Scan any of the four codes and they will all take you the same URL. the left QR code is more sensitive to damage then right one. Lets put this to the test by taking the first and the last QR code and 'damaging' them proportionately in favor of the smaller QR code.

Bad QR code	QR code still readable

Clearly the 30% fault tolerant QR code on the right still scans even though a big piece of its data has been obscured, while the smaller code on the left no longer works at all, even though visually it has less data damage.

This same technique is used to create designer QR codes. Making QR codes pretty by damaging the data but at the same time keeping them scannable and working.

How to use QR code error recovery

When creating QR codes for example business cards, the chances of it getting dirty are rather low and you want the QR code as small as possible. Here a standard 7% error threshold is enough and very suitable for cards and other printed matter. However if are going to use QR codes outdoors, on cars and trucks or any place where data may be obscured by dirt then setting the error correction to a higher setting is advisable although chances are you will land up with a bigger image.

TIP: Do not believe everything people tell you about QR codes...ask them to prove it and show you!
Myth: 'you can tear a QR code in half and it can still be read'
Here's what a British 'technology consultant' had to say during an interview on business hub radio...

Should you have any questions or need professional advise QR code use and strategy, please contact us.

Creating custom QR codes

Most of us have seen the black and white square barcodes called QR codes here and there but more and more QR codes in colour and with logo's embedded in them are popping up. And yip they are even scanable and work just like their monochrome version.

 Making designer QR codes

It is advisable to first do some homework on making QR codes using colour, 'what colour is your QR code' (Dutch), 'Colourful QR Codes' and 'Transparent QR Codes' are three articles that explain how best to use colours and transparency when making QR codes.There are on-line services that allow you to upload a logo or graphics and create your own designer QR code, two of these can be found at

• QR Code generator with logo embedding (Dutch)
• Branded QR Code generator

 QR Code Designer Service

Should you not be able to create a custom QR code you your liking, there are also QR code designer services on offer. It can save you time and frustration by having your unique QR code made by a professional agency with knowledge about QR codes.

Two companies offering QR code design services are:

• 0D0A - Custom QR Code Designs
• QR4 - Designer QR Code Service

 Have questions about custom QR codes or need advice, please contact us for more information.

The thin line between quality QR codes

Most generators found on-line and offline create 'bitmap' QR codes, these images or pictures are made from a series of dots called 'pixels' and generally intended for display on a computer screen or monitor. Each image has just so many dots as is required to display the image at a set size. But what happens when you need a QR code to display perfectly no matter what size you want it.

The difference between a bitmap QR codes and vector QR codes

Below are two identical QR codes, one is bitmap and the other is a vector representation, both generated at the same original size.

Bitmap QR Code	Vector QR Code
Bitmap QR Zoom	Vector QR Zoom
Bitmap QR block	Vector QR block

Comparing the two different types of QR code files by zooming in clearly shows that the bitmap looses clarity and becomes fuzzy. This may explain why Blackberry QR Code readers have so much trouble reading these codes ;)

Bitmap QR codes are great for displaying on a screen, but often fall short when it comes to being used with most types of printed collateral.

Why do the vector QR codes retain their clarity under any magnification

The reason is simple. Vector QR codes are made of lines and then filled in with ink. so it does not matter whether a QR code bock is 1 mm by 1 mm or 1 m by 1 m. In each case a box is drawn to the required dimensions and then filled with a colour, leaving a perfect clear square no matter how large or how small you make the QR code.

Postscript Vector QR Code Outline	Postscript Vector QR Code Filled

Interesting to note is that this generator takes the 'Quiet Zone', the required border around the QR Code into account
Click on the image below to download the EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file that generated this QR code.

The QR code about were created by the generic matrix to vector processor developed by QR4 which is an industrial QR code generator capable of generating variable and dynamic QR codes faster than the print speed of any digital printer, and is also available on-line for 24/7 use for all our clients.

Next time your need to print QR codes, require quality results, a happy printer, and QR codes that just work better, use vector or Postscript QR codes, you will be surprised at the quality and efficiency.

For more information on the high speed EPS QR Code Generator please contact one of our members closest to you.