Click here to go back to the main article "2-D or not 2-D?"

So you've decided to add a QR code to your package to better communicate and/or interact with consumers. Now what? Where do you start? Here's a list of various technologies available to help you find and assess the best one for your project.

QR Code: "QR code" has become the generic term for all types of 2-D codes/tags. These open-source codes are preferred for their high-speed scan capability, ability to hold large amounts of information and relatively small footprint. QR codes can be read with an almost unlimited variety of readers, meaning no specific/proprietary reader is required for a specific QR code. Conversely, not all readers will read all QR codes. QR codes contain the entire message or content within the code. This alleviates the need for online access to decode it. (Source: www.qrcode.com) 

1-TAG: For anti-counterfeiting, Heidelberg's 1-TAG is based on a combination of physical random processes and cryptographic signatures. First, a pattern randomly generated from copper threads is applied to a label. This pattern is read off using a camera, and a cryptographic key that is unique to each manufacturer converts it into an equally unique code. This cryptographic signature ensures that the random pattern, code and product information are linked up in such a way that they offer reliable protection against manipulation. The code is printed on the label next to the pattern of copper threads using a digital drop-on-demand inkjet system. To check the authenticity of a product labeled with 1-TAG technology, end customers only need their smartphone and the free 1-TAG app. The software scans the security label and detects immediately whether the content of the QR code matches the pattern of the neighboring copper threads or not. This process does not require access to the mobile data network, which means that the check is free of charge across the globe. In addition to the result of the check, the app also displays the corresponding brand, the product name, and the size of the packaging and can supply end customers with additional product-specific information. (Source: Heidelberg, www.heidelberg.com) 

Any package graphic: The Aurasma smartphone app merges our physical and virtual worlds. With this technology, consumers use their cellphones, but there's no "code" per se. Any graphic will do. Using the smartphone's camera, GPS, compass, accelerometer and internet connection, the technology combines image recognition and a conceptual understanding of the 3D world to recognize objects and images and seamlessly merge augmented reality actions into the scene. Without the need for bar codes or tags, the app is able to see its surrounding environment and make it fully interactive. Source: Aurasma, www.aurasma.com)

Aztec

Data Matrix

EZcode

Grid Matrix

Han Xin code

JagTag

MS tags

Near Field Communication: Based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, near field communication lets a smartphone "talk" to an NFC chip embedded in a package simply by bringing the phone close to the tag. ComputerWeek.com gives a non-packaging example of how this contactless technology could be used (but you'll get the idea of how it would work with packaging): "Embedding an NFC chip in a movie poster where, when you touch the phone to the poster, a trailer of the film appears on YouTube on your phone."

SnapTag