Understanding the Secrets of QR Code Decoding: Everything You Need to Know!

A Quick Response Code (QR Code) is a popular type of two-dimensional barcode. It encodes alphanumeric information. To decode this, one can either use a handheld scanner or even a QR Code scanning application on a smartphone.

In 1994, a Japanese commercial enterprise, Denso Wave Corporation built the Quick Response Codes for vehicle tracking and high-speed part scanning in the automobile industry.

How do QR Codes work

If you look at a QR Code, you’ll see black-coloured squares (or dots) all over it. These are called data modules, and they store the information that we want the QR Code to contain in it. QR codes can store various types of data, including text, URLs, and contact information. They are widely used for marketing, ticketing, and other applications.

A QR code is a scannable barcode encoded with data, numeric and alphanumeric characters, bytes, that convert into a unique two-dimensional arrangement of squares. The original data in its form is retrieved when the QU Code is scanned by an optical scanner.

Parts of a QR Code

Let us look into the various parts that make up a QR code:

• Data module – These are the set of black square dots over a white background. The combination of black and white is used because it has the highest contrast value and can is distinctly visible. The arrangement of black squares which is also referred to as data modules, is the most visible part of a QR code.
• Position marker – Every QR code consists of three position markers. Consisting of an inner and outer eye, they allow scanners and cameras to locate the data modules and the scanning direction quickly and accurately.
• The Quiet zone – There are blank white area around all the four sides of the data module and position markers. The quite zone helps the scanner to correctly align and read the data by understanding the start and the end points of the QR Code.

What Information Is in a QR Code?

A QR code can have up to 177 rows and 177 columns. This means there are 31,329 possible combinations of data module. Most of the QU Codes we commonly use need much lesser number of combinations.

There are various versions of a QR Code, with the smallest one having 21 rows and 21 columns. This is known as Version 1. The largest QR code possible i.e. one with 177 rows by 177 columns is known as Version 40 QR Code.

It’s interesting to note that scan distance and not data size is the basis of the QR Code size. Also a maximum of 2953 alphanumeric and 7089 numeric data can be stored in any QR Code.

Hence the utility of a QR code can be seen in any scenario that uses numeric, alphabets, symbols and special characters for the purpose of communication. We can see a QR Code all around us – in a restaurant paying bills, verifying or authenticating sites, documents, identifying suppliers and product details, as an identity proof checking in a hotel or while travelling, logging into websites, or making a digital transaction.

Due to the unique capability of storing a larger amount of data makes QR Codes have now become a more popular tool than a standard barcode across industry to give customers a more superior user experience and convenience.