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A two-dimensional barcode (2-D barcode) provides information storage on both horizontal and vertical axes. This graphic image can be printed, embedded on a digital screen or otherwise presented for scanning and analysis.
Two-dimensional barcodes are also known as matrix barcodes or matrix codes.
Techopedia Explains Two-Dimensional Barcode
One of the most common uses of 2-D barcodes is in smartphone reading. A phone can be equipped with a barcode reader that quickly and effectively gets information from the 2-D barcode. This can be used for product services, dissemination of news or other purposes. One of the main benefits of 2-D barcodes is that they increase data storage capacity by several orders of magnitude. With the ability to store over 7000 individual characters, 2-D codes provide a large amount of information that is easily accessible by some of today’s top technologies.
In a Quick Response (QR) code, one of the most common types of 2-D bar codes, the design includes a finder pattern, an arrangement of squares that shows the scanner how big a QR code is and how it is positioned. There is also an alignment pattern, another pattern that provides accuracy for scanners. These 2-D codes are often “redundant” in the sense that they have a particular “margin of error” so that the code can be compromised and still be read well by a scanner.
