QR Code - A Definition and Explanation

July 11th, 2011

QR Code - A Definition and Explanation

Author: Mark Edward Brown

The Quick Response code or QR code as it is known today is being spotted more and more prevalently on billboards, buses, business cards, websites, blogs, and virtually any where you can place a postage stamp sized black and white image of computer generated coding.

I did a quick search for the term “QR Code” in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary site as well as dictionary.com however there were no results found for that term.

Since the phrase is so new I then went to wikipedia to try my luck there, here is what I found:

1) The QR code is a 2 dimensional code that can be read by barcode readers and smart phones.

2) The QR code was created by a subsidiary company owned by the Toyota corporation from Japan back in 1994.

3) The QR code was initially used for tracking parts in vehicles however it now has a much broader use and is being rapidly adopted by marketing professionals and mass media geniuses both on and offline.

Some interesting and relevant places and ways that QR codes have been used are as art, on album covers, in comic books, and video games.

To see an example of a QR code that I use visit:

http://www.TrafficDynamite.com

(See it on the left side of the page)

The QR code is used freely throughout the world both online and offline. The trademark for the code is owned as a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated and the same company owns the patent on it as well.

Currently there are 40 versions that range from 1 to 4,296 characters. There are also 2 versions; a micro code that can hold up to 35 numeric characters and the standard code which can hold up to 7,089 characters although not many commonly owned readers can read or accept that much data.

There are websites that allow you to create your own QR code. Use your favorite search engine and search for “create a QR code”, and you will find all the information you need to create a quick response code for your website, blog, business or any other media or content that you can imagine.

Here are some examples of ways to use your own QR code:

1. Put one on a tag for your luggage
2. Put one on a t-shirt
3. Add one to your business card
4. Put them on a price tag (if you own a store)
5. Add them to thank-you notes, letter heads or stationary

Just let your mind wander, do some creative thought scheming and before long you will be able to strategically employ the quick response code into your life or business.

PCGwebsite

PCGwebsite

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/qr-code–a-definition-and-explanation-2247573.html

Plastic Business Cards

June 28th, 2011

Plastic Business Cards

Author: Allen

Everyone desires of a successful business and so many pains and efforts are required for a successful business. Marketing and advertising is vital and there are an array of ways for marketing of any business. People prefer affordable and efficient marketing alternatives and many business organizations are starting to favor the plastic business cards as an alternative for the low cost high impact marketing for their business.

There has been a lift up in the use of plastic business cards now along with the common business card and urbanized into a visually exceptional and dominant marketing alternative. A plastic business card is alike in dimension and outline or shape with a paper business card also flexible, water-resistant and more long-lasting. Plastic business cards also offer a stability and steadiness that competently brand a company’s uniqueness and statement in new and exciting ways. With the use of color, combined with a combination of clear and colored set-ups and styles, let for an enormously ingenious approach to a lot of different types of messaging, brand name and image building.

There are two types of business plastic cards: translucent and full color. A translucent plastic business card has a light and airy look that lends itself to many types of graphics and text and are distinctive and memorable. Full color plastic business cards look more attractive traditional credit or bank cards.

The first entity you want to observe on your plastic business card is the name of your organization, if your organization has a trade logo it must be clearly noticeable next to your company name or incorporated as element of the design on your card.

The next thing you want to be noticed is who you are, so place your name under the company name. If you are promoting your individual work and you have a URL or website, this must be incorporated under your name. You will get following benefits if you choose plastic business cards for the promotion of your business.

• Increase Business Name
• Provide Better image
• Boost up product production
• Enhances Overall Business Sales
• Increase Brand Awareness
• Enhance Marketing Effectiveness

Plastic business cards are an outstanding way to endorse your business using a one of a kind, noticeable and superb product.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/plastic-business-cards-2250154.html

Characteristics Of Bad Postcard Templates To Avoid

April 11th, 2011

Characteristics Of Bad Postcard Templates To Avoid

Author: Kaye Z. Marks

Are you scouting for postcard printing templates to use? Then, be wary of bad templates that might actually hamper your efforts.

Even if you are just aiming for some simple and cheap postcard printing, you should not take any risks by using a bad type of template, even if it is free. Let me describe for you the five key characteristics of bad postcard templates. Take note of these as you try to acquire the template you need.

1.    Embedded author watermarks and logos – The first thing that you should check are embedded author watermarks and logos. Many of those free providers pull fast ones on the public and put in their marketing logo and image within those free templates. While it is a small payment to get something free, it can actually ruin your design if you are not careful. Since there are typically others without these, you should just move on to those instead of settling for these market templates. Believe me. You will be better off without such.

2.    Missing printing bleed dimensions – Another thing that you should watch out for in color postcard templates are missing print bleed dimensions. Some bad templates do not have printing bleeds, which make them practically useless for many designers. The design bleed or the printing bleed is a small extension of the design, which is reserved as an allowance for printing inconsistencies. Without it, some white lines or blank areas will appear around the edges, especially if it has a color background. So try to not to pick such with these missing bleeds.

3.    Non-standard dimension settings – it is important to have standard dimensions settings. Standard dimensions keep the postcard size legal, helping it to be accepted by most mailing services. However, if your template has non-standard dimension settings to achieve a special effect, you should be wary about using it. While some services might still accept it, others might actually regret the deployment. It is best to play it safe and use non-standard dimension settings.

4.    Lack of proper guidelines and grids – You may also want to look out for proper guidelines and grids within. If the template that you want does not have this, you might run into a little difficulty formatting your design in the best and most correct manner. Other templates provide these guidelines free, so you might as well go for those instead of settling for one that does not have them.

5.    Too specialized file format – Finally, some are given free, but are saved in a specialized file format. Some software companies do this so that you are forced to but the software for the free template, which of course is just not ideal. If the template you discovered is in a file format that is hard to open, it is best to just leave it alone and user another one. There are tons of free others out there that you can use with whatever design application that you have.

You must avoid these are the kinds of templates Make sure you remember these so that you will not waste your time and effort in the wrong template.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in cheap postcard printing and postcard printing that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_2178300_64.html

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