5 Fun Facts About QR Codes You Should Know

What Are QR Codes Actually?

A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a two-dimensional barcode that can store a large amount of information compared to traditional barcodes. QR Codes were initially created to track vehicles and parts during the manufacturing process. Today, they are widely used across various industries due to their fast readability.

QR Codes consist of black squares and dots arranged on a white background, forming a unique pattern that encodes data both horizontally and vertically. When scanned by a smartphone camera or a dedicated QR Code reader, the pattern is interpreted and decoded into readable information.

QR Codes are often used in:

1. Marketing & Advertising ✅
2. Payments & Transactions ✅
3. Event Ticketing & Boarding Passes ✅
4. Wi-Fi Access ✅
5. Shopping & Retail ✅

And now, let’s find out what are the top five fun facts about QR Codes 🚀

5 Fun Facts About QR Codes

Ready to be amazed? Read on to discover 5 fascinating facts about QR codes!

1️⃣ QR Codes are older than you think

The story of QR Codes begins in 1994 with Denzo Wave, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Denzo Corporation, which is part of the Toyota Group. Denzo Wave developed QR Codes to address the limitations of traditional one-dimensional barcodes used in the automotive industry. The primary motivation was to create a barcode that could hold more information and be scanned at high speed. Traditional barcodes were limited in data capacity and scanning speed, which hindered Toyota's manufacturing and logistics processes.

The automotive industry required a more efficient system to track vehicles and parts during the manufacturing process. The design goals for QR Codes included enhancing efficiency in manufacturing and logistics by creating a code that could store a significant amount of data—including alphanumeric characters, Kanji, Kana, and symbols. The "Quick Response" aspect was crucial, reflecting the need for fast decoding to keep up with the demands of the production line.

QR Codes were engineered as two-dimensional matrices, allowing them to store data both horizontally and vertically, unlike one-dimensional barcodes that store data in a single direction. A key innovation was the incorporation of error correction algorithms, specifically Reed-Solomon error correction. This enabled QR Codes to be read accurately even if they were partially damaged or dirty. The distinctive design features—such as the three large squares at the corners and a smaller square in the fourth corner—assist scanners in detecting the position, size, and angle of the code, facilitating fast and accurate scanning.

Initially, QR Codes gained popularity in Japan, extending beyond manufacturing into retail, ticketing, and advertising sectors. The rise of mobile technology, particularly smartphones equipped with cameras, allowed consumers to easily scan QR Codes, leading to their widespread adoption in marketing, payments, and information sharing. By the late 2000s, QR Codes began appearing globally, accepted by businesses and organisations to connect offline materials with online content, improving user engagement.

2️⃣ QR Codes can hold a massive amount of data

QR Codes can store a significant amount of data compared to traditional one-dimensional barcodes, but they have practical limitations. While they can encode thousands of characters, the more data a QR Code contains, the denser and more complex it becomes, which can affect its readability and scanning efficiency.

QR Codes are designed to store different types of data, and their capacity varies depending on the encoding mode used:

• Numeric Mode (digits 0–9): In this mode, a QR Code can store up to 7,089 characters. It's the most efficient mode for encoding numerical data, making it suitable for applications like encoding large numbers. ✅
• Alphanumeric Mode (digits 0–9, uppercase letters A–Z, and nine special characters): This mode can hold up to 4,296 characters. It's commonly used because it supports a wider range of characters, including letters and some symbols, making it ideal for encoding text that includes both letters and numbers. ✅
• Byte Mode (binary data, including ASCII characters): Byte mode allows for up to 2,953 bytes of data. It supports all 256 possible 8-bit byte values, which means it can encode characters from the ISO-8859-1 character set. This mode is useful for encoding data that includes special characters and symbols. ✅
• Kanji/Kana Mode (Japanese characters): Specifically designed for encoding characters from the Shift JIS system used for Japanese Kanji and Kana characters, this mode can store up to 1,817 characters. It's highly efficient for Japanese text but less so for other character sets. ✅

As more data is encoded into a QR Code, the matrix becomes larger and more complex, adding more modules—the small black and white squares that make up the code. Larger and denser QR Codes may require higher-resolution printing and scanning devices to read accurately. They can also become physically larger, which isn't always practical for certain applications.

QR Codes also have four error correction levels—L (Low), M (Medium), Q (Quartile), and H (High) - which determine how much of the code can be restored if it's damaged or obscured. Higher error correction levels improve reliability but reduce data capacity because more space within the QR Code is used for error correction codewords rather than actual data.

Relative to traditional one-dimensional barcodes, which typically hold between 8 to 25 characters, QR Codes can store a substantially larger amount of information. This increased capacity makes them useful for applications that require more data, such as embedding URLs, contact information, or small blocks of text.

3️⃣ QR Codes Can Be Fully Brand Customised

Big & innovative brands do not want to use QR Codes that are the same as everyone else’s. They want to have QR Codes based on their brand identity, based on the special rules from their brand books, and in correlation with their mission & vision. That means that companies are searching for tools that will create a QR Code that has:

• company’s logo 🔥
• company’s colours 🔥
• company’s one-liner 🔥
• different styles for dots, squares and corners 🔥

Sometimes it’s hard to find a tool that combines all of those features together, but luckily some providers, like Tapni, can mark all of the mentioned requirements. As a Tapni Business user, you can easily customise limitless QR Codes, and assign different styles to them. What is also cool is that if you’re managing different teams - sales, marketing or HR - you can create different QR Code styles for each them, and assign them respectively.

Tapni Business Dashboard will allow you to:

1. Customise the QR Codes’ Dots (you can choose between Rounded, Dots, Classy, Classy Rounded, Square, or Extra Rounded) 💣
2. Customise Corners Square of the QR Code (you can choose between Square, Dot, or Extra Rounded) 💣
3. Customise Corners Dots Options (Square or Dot option) 💣
4. Set the colour of the entire QR Code, or separately for Dots or Squares 💣
5. Set QR Code as a transparent one (especially useful if you’re going to put the QR Code to some printing or marketing material) 💣
6. Export customised QR Codes as SVG or PNG file. 💣

4️⃣ QR Codes Can Be Used As A Business Card

We hope that you’re aware that paper business cards are outdated - but a business card still represents an important business & networking asset.

You can change your paper business card with a nice-looking NFC card or to try a metal version of business cards, or if you prefer digital option, you can choose between Apple/Google Wallet Business Card, Link In Bio, or even QR Code as an option for a business card.

And again, Tapni can help you here.

Tapni gives you an option to create a totally free digital business card and add 77 applications to it - within seconds. For every link you create, Tapni will provide you with a QR Code and a Link Shortener.

Plus, as a Tapni Business user, you can customise your digital business card with different colours, logos, cover pictures, backgrounds, and you can even create a specialised style for your links.

So, next time you start searching for your business card, don’t worry - you haven’t forgot it. It’s with you all the time - just open Tapni App on your phone, and share your customised digital business card with a branded QR Code ✅

5️⃣ QR Codes can be AI-generated

AI revolution isn’t skipping over anyone.

Every job, every person, every aspect of our lives are affected by the speed of AI development. Artificial intelligence is changing how the industries are operating, it brings totally new ways of dealing with manufacturing processes, writing requests, law obligations, and it gives a possibility to create even more content in the world where we’re already overwhelmed by all these informations.

QR Codes are another part of the AI revolution.

When businesses started looking for more interactive and dynamic ways to engage customers, it was time for AI QR Codes to rise and shine 💫

AI QR Codes are especially good for businesses needing to update offers or content frequently without reprinting new QR Codes.

By the way, did you know that you generate multiple QR Codes in bulk? 😮

Also, AI QR Codes can help you to get more reviews, and you’ll do that by creating different AI-generated QR Codes designed based on the needs of your product and/or service.

There are many platforms that can allow you to easily generate AI QR Codes - for free. And again, Tapni did the homework here (so, not just a QR Code generator, not just a digital business card, but an AI tool as well??? 😲)

One of them, AI QR Code Toolkit is created by Tapni Team, and it allows you to:

1. Create up to 3 QR Codes totally FREE - without any registration! 🚀
2. Generate multiple QR Codes in Bulk - up to 5 of them if you subscribe to PRO yearly plan. Plus, you can track the usage, and have sort of a library/collection of all the QR Codes you’ve made so far. Of course, you’ll be able to edit every single AI-generated QR Code at anytime. 🚀

By the way, did you know you can add the QR Code to your email signature? 📩

To create a QR Code, you just need to set the right link, and then write a prompt based on what you want to get from the generator. Here’s an example of the result we've received:

As a AI QR Code Toolkit user, you can also:

• Download the image of the QR Code, and use it for different promotional purposes - available in 512x512 px dimensions ✅
• As a PRO user, you can download the image of the QR Code in HD format ✅
• You will also receive a specialised link to image for every generated QR Code ✅

📦 Wrapping It Up

QR Codes have gone from a simple tool for tracking automotive parts to a global phenomenon that bridges the physical and digital worlds. Their power is undeniable - they can improve marketing strategies, streamline payments, simplify ticketing, and even revolutionise how we network and share information. Today we’ve learned that the QR Codes:

1. Aren’t that new, but they’re became such an important tool for every individual and business today. 🚀
2. Can store a huge amount of data, and they’re also easy to create and set-up, making them good for literally every industry. 🚀
3. Can be fully customised and make you to stand out by adding logos, different colours or different brands segments to your QR Codes. 🚀
4. Can be used as a business card that can be edited at anytime - no more need to print endless paper business cards. 🚀
5. Can be even more improved by using the AI technology. 🚀

We hope that those 5 fun facts can make you to start generating your first QR Codes today. And don’t worry - Tapni will be there to help!

🎁 Bonus: 3 Best QR Code Templates You’ll Find

We won’t let you go without some cool templates for QR Codes. Since Halloween is close, as well as US Presidential Elections, and we’re preparing for the last quarter of 2025, here are 3 best templates for the QR Codes you can try out today. Enjoy!

If you want to learn more about QR Codes and find out how they can help you in your everyday business life, make sure to check those articles as well:

✅ How LinkedIn QR Code Works

✅ How To Create QR Code Widget

✅ How To Get A Digital Business Card For Free