A Beginner’s Guide to QR Tags

A Beginner’s Guide to QR Tags

QR tags have become a familiar part of modern life. You can use them to order at cafes, bars and restaurants or find them on brochures, flyers, posters, and business cards linking websites upon scanning. Each of us even carries our own QR scanner in our pockets: a smartphone! You might also know that you can use QR codes to track assets, but do you really know how they work and what they can do? Discover all that QR code tags have to offer in this handy guide.


How Do QR Tags Work?

A ‘Quick Response Code’ also known as QR code or tag is a two-dimensional type of barcode that encodes alphanumeric information such as web page URLs, text, and contact information. These codes are created using an online generator that produces a pattern of black white pixels, every module (black or white unit block) or a string of modules either represents data or a function. These patterns can be scanned using either a handheld scanner or even a QR code scanning application on your smartphone. 

QR tags can be used to track physical assets simply by attaching it to the chosen asset. With a quick scan of a QR tag, users can pull up all the information associated with the asset in their fixed asset register. This increases asset visibility and can help to prevent asset downtime.


The Use of QR Tags

QR tags have soared in popularity in recent years with the square-shaped barcodes becoming a ubiquitous feature in our daily transactions. The usage varies widely across different industries, from retail and marketing to inventory management and asset tracking. In the case of the recent pandemic, QR codes were even used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by enabling contact tracing.

There are many reasons to opt for QR codes to track your assets. From their simple production to the amount of minimal equipment required, they can be a very convenient method for tracking assets. Find out why you should consider choosing QR tags as your solution.


Cheap and Simple Production

Due to their simplicity, QR codes are cheap to produce and due to their 2D nature they can be printed on a range of materials. Compared to a barcode, a QR code can store more information in a smaller area of space. This provides a discrete but effective tracking solution that can be easily hidden out of sight on assets that have limited real-estate space.


No Special Equipment

One of the great benefits of QR tags is that you don’t need to spend money on special equipment to scan them, which is a capability already available on smartphone devices. This ease of use is one of the main reasons why QR tags have sky-rocketed in popularity in recent years


Easy Integration into Your Asset Management System

QR tagging is easy to integrate into your current asset management system. Most inventory management and asset management software already allow the use of QR codes; you simply need a way to generate them.


Damage Resistant

One of the worst things that can happen to an asset tag is that it can no longer be scanned due to wear and tear. This can cause significant delays and inefficiencies within a workforce. However, QR tags are a very durable type of asset tag and can remain scannable even if they are 30% damaged due to their inherent error correction.


itemit’s QR Tags

Choose the tags that are right for you. itemit offers both vinyl QR code stickers and anodised aluminium QR tags and come in various sizes, ranging from 15 to 50 millimetres. Our anodised aluminium tags have been developed to be exceptionally durable, so if your tagged assets are going to be subject to extreme or hazardous conditions then this type of QR tag might be the right one for you. 

To find out more about how itemit’s QR tags can help you track your assets, you can contact the team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start your own 14-day free trial.

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