Do You Know the Difference Between a Barcode And QR Code?

Monitoring orders and accounting is a top responsibility for many manufacturing companies, especially when it comes to managing physical inventories. As a result, there are numerous reasons to tag an item for usage in manufacturing or even inventory. Users can also use tracking data to identify bottlenecks and other issues.

The organisation can benefit from this information by increasing production and efficiency. However, a business should select a tagging scheme that helps them monitor the data they require the most. The use of barcode labels is the most popular. But which code should a company use? Should a business use two-dimensional rapid response QR codes or stick with the traditional one-dimensional system? To answer these questions, we need to learn about the differences between barcodes and QR codes.  

Did you know? A Japanese gaming firm in China ended its drone promotional campaign on April 17, 2021, by arranging drones such that they created a scannable QR-Code in the sky.

What is a Barcode?

A barcode is an image with parallel black lines and white spaces that are square or rectangular. Machines can read this data format. For processing purchases in stores, barcodes are quite helpful. They aid in quickly identifying products. They may also be used to monitor warehouse inventories. Many businesses and shops use barcodes to assist with bookkeeping. 

Parts of Barcodes

Depending on how they are used, different types of barcodes exist for diverse uses. During the sales process, they offer a variety of advantages, such as increased accuracy, immediate date availability, enhanced inventory tracking, and low-cost implications. A barcode typically consists of five parts:

• Quiet zone
• Start character
• Data characters (with an optional check character)
• Stop character
• Additional quiet zone

Types of Barcodes 

Hundreds of different barcode combinations are in use today across numerous industries. They are based on three standard sorts of barcodes -

• Numeric-only barcodes 
• Alpha-numeric barcodes
• 2-dimensional barcodes

One-dimensional, or 1D, barcodes are the general term used to describe the two types of barcodes. One-dimensional, or 1D, barcodes are the general term used to describe the two types of barcodes. The shape of two-dimensional barcodes, often known as 2D barcodes, is frequently square or rectangular. They are composed of several tiny dots placed in a specific arrangement. Compared to 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes can store significantly more data in a smaller space. Besides, they can be read even when printed or engraved in a small font on an item.

Advantages of Barcodes 

Barcodes are commonly used because of a few key benefits:

• They are reasonably priced.
• Compared to traditional inventory procedures, they enable more precise inventory control.
• They make operations quick and effective.
• They can boost a company's profitability by lowering the cost of physical labour, enhancing inventory management, and accelerating the supply chain.

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What Is a QR code?

Compared to the decades-old barcode, the QR code (Quick Response Code) was only developed for the car sector in Japan in 1994. They are the Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, commonly referred to as matrix codes. Since it is so widely used, the word "QR code," a trademark for a particular kind of two-dimensional matrix code, has essentially taken over the role of the two-dimensional barcode. Both barcodes and QR codes are optical, machine-readable labels that store data about an object or commodity.

In contrast to 1D barcodes, which can only store data in one way, horizontally, QR codes can store data in two ways: horizontally and vertically. This enables them to contain a lot more data: a 1D barcode can generally hold 20 to 25 characters, while specific variants can have more; for example, the standard Code 39 barcode can carry up to 43 characters. Contrarily, a QR code can hold up to 1,520 alphanumeric or 2,509 numeric characters.

Types Of QR codes 

Two-dimensional QR codes:

These are typically printed on flat materials such as paper or signage because they are two-dimensional designs. They are practical for retailers and customers because they can be printed using a standard printer.

Three-dimensional QR codes:

Although 3D QR Codes have the same appearance as 2D QR Codes, they are produced by special 3D printers. 3D QR codes include boxes instead of squares like 2D ones do. The latter, which can store more data, is typically employed by factories or warehouses that require such capabilities.

Advantages of QR- Codes 

• Typically, QR-Codes are relatively tiny in size. They won't take up much room on your product, booklet, banner advertisement, or wherever else you decide to utilise them.
• Our mobile camera can read QR-Codes, therefore a specific device is not needed to decipher the information.
• A significant quantity of data can be stored in a QR-Code. Typically, they can hold up to 4296 characters or 7089 numbers. Data in the form of images, videos, URLs, etc. can be stored by them.
• If we print a QR-Code on paper or any other type of wrapper, it's possible that a small amount of it might get somewhat damaged. But even if only 70% of the code is readable, QR-Code will still function.

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Difference Between Barcodes and QR codes

Here is a list of some  differences between Barcodes and QR codes 

Unlike one-dimensional barcodes, QR Codes are two-dimensional due to the rows and columns forming a module grid. As a result, QR codes may store far more data than a barcode of the same size. The QR code will appear "busier" the more information it contains.

In contrast to a barcode, your QR code is more likely to be still readable if it is partially obscured by dirt or scratches.

What Is Better, QR code vs Barcode

There are many situations where choosing between a 1D barcode and a QR code is not always the best option. 1D barcodes are an excellent option when you only need to keep an item identification number or link to data about a product or item in a system.

QR codes are a valuable technique for making data readily available. It is specifically when you need to save significant volumes of data and make that data available to everyone else (inspectors, citizens, etc.) who don't have access to the databases where more information is kept. When you need to provide quick access to product specs, instruction booklets, or procedures but don't have enough area for more prominent labels and signs on the item, they are also a space-saving alternative.

Regular barcodes are frequently appropriate and capable of performing the essential task because there are so many applications for both types of codes. That being said, QR codes have a clear advantage only based on the volume of data they can store. Therefore, QR codes have enormous benefits when managing assets broadly and tracking them specifically. Due to their adaptability and tracking features, QR codes have recently gained popularity across various businesses. Using QR codes rather than one-dimensional barcodes becomes much clearer when you consider that they are far easier to scan, usually more durable, and provide a unique code for every product. 

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Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the main difference between barcode and QR code is that the former is a machine-readable code consisting of numbers and a sequence of parallel lines with various widths, whilst the latter is made up of a matrix of black and white squares. In contrast to barcodes, QR codes hold more data. You can choose the best symbology for your needs by carefully considering your application requirements, regulatory compliance issues, the viability of including extra tags and markings for compliance, and your barcode scanning techniques.

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