A Smart Code or QR code is a two dimensional bar code which can be read by any smart phone with a QR code reader.   The reader scans the code and the resut is usually a URL which will take the viewer to a specially constructed website.   It can however also contan information such as a contact address to be saved to the smart Phone's addess book, a link to an app which may be downloaded to the phone or even a SMS message which can be sent to a preselected recipient.    Its uses are endless limited only by imagination. 

Smart codes are becoming a common feature in newspaper and magazne adverts ,posters and even decals on cars and vans, they can even be added to business cards.    

To be successful however the codes must be correctly formed to be read by any smart phone scanner.   Too often the actual printed codes are not up to the task, perhaps the aspect ratio has been altered by the printer or the code blurred by the printing process so for this reason the codes should be tested on smart phones throughout the print process. 

The best Smart Codes a crisply printed in their original ratios and sizes and lead the user to a meaningful and user friendly result. 

A large number of smart codes lead to a convential website which is difficult to navigate on a smart phone or which requires the user to download a pdf file which is not much easier to read on a phone and which requires large amounts of memory space on the phone.