You may have heard about the advantages of QR codes, thought about how they may benefit you, read how to create one, but wondered what are the best QR Code Generator sites and Readers out there. Although we at Action Graphics have not exhausted the list of QR Code Generators and Smartphone Readers, what we can provide for you is some of the ones we usually use and what each one has available.
QR Code Generator Sites
+ BeQrious – This site is an easy, basic generator for the most popular actions and also now has launched a service to allow you to be able to track your QR code activity (tracking service is a nominal fee). You can download for free a high res pdf or a GIF file of your code.
+ Kerem Erkan – This site is built by an individual who loves to deal with QR codes as a hobby. A much more advanced generator, this site allows you to manually adjust different aspects of the QR codes for more readability. It also allows several output options such as PNG, PDF, TIFF, EPS, or SVG. It has some very interesting notes about QR codes as well.
+ QRStuff – This site allows you to be able to output some different QR codes and colorize them as well. It is limited in that without paying a small fee you cannot download a high res print-ready file, but this site resells all sorts of promotional items from t-shirts to mugs that would include your QR code on them.
QR Code Readers
There are several great QR code readers out there for all the different smartphone platforms available – iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows7 phone, Palm, and Symbian. For proof, just go to your app store/ market and search for QR code readers – it will come up with a zillion that will work on your phone. Every reader has different quirks to it – and some are built to better read and translate the code better than others. Here are some that we use and recommend.
+ ScanLife – This app is available and works on all the smartphone platforms. It is one of the quicker and better readers that I have found in terms of finding the code, translating it, and launching the appropriate action. You can download ScanLife by visiting your app store/ market or by going to www.getscanlife.com on your mobile phone.
+ Quickmark – This is one of the more highly rated readers available for the iPhone and Android based phones (also supports Windows 7 and Symbian phones but not Blackberry’s yet). It is not free (costs 99 cents) but allows you to share the code via social networks and translate it before launching. To download for your phone, go to http://www.quickmark.com.tw/En/basic/download.asp on your mobile phone.
+ Barcode Scanner – This is a scanner that is primarily for Android-based phones only, but is one that scans all sorts of codes including UPC codes. It can even allow price comparison of UPC codes if needed. It allows you to share the code via SMS or email before launching the action. Best way to get this app is to search and download it from the App Store.
Should you have any questions in trying to generate a QR code, confused about the reader, or just wnat to find out how QR codes can benefit your business – call us today to setup a QR code demo with our communication consultants.
