Clickable Paper Replaces QR Codes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jan. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Quick Response (QR) codes have come a long way since their development in Japan for use in automotive production. Today, the inclusion of QR codes on consumer goods and advertising is commonplace. Anyone with a smartphone paired with a free QR code-reading app can easily be directed to supplemental content related to the product-typically a website-on demand. QR codes give marketers the ability to analyze the traffic generated to the website which allows them to better understand who their customers are and to refine marketing strategies.

Despite these advantages, marketers have struggled to find ways to incorporate the ugly, monochrome boxes into their beautifully designed ads, packaging and other marketing materials. Additionally, using QR codes can force costly reprints necessitated by the creation of revised QR codes associated with revised digital content.

Disrupting the QR status quo is Ricoh who is beginning to partner with a select few commercial printers to offer an aesthetically pleasing and robust alternative to the clunky QR code. According to Chip Galloway of Graphic Impressions in Charlotte, N.C., Clickable Paper is an augmented reality technology that allows any printed document to direct a consumer to multiple locations via a smartphone app. There is no need to create a special code because the art itself is scannable.

To make your document clickable, your commercial printer-using proprietary software and under your direction-assigns hotspots that are recognized by any smartphone via Ricoh's CP Clicker app.

Using the CP Clicker app downloaded from iTunes or Google Play, simply snap a photo of the enabled image. You do not have to include the entire image. After snapping the image, the image recognition software searches the cloud-based database for the match and displays the digital content options assigned to the document by your commercial printer.

Unlike a QR code that directs to only one destination, Clickable Paper can appeal to unique motivations by offering the consumer multiple links to additional information. And, if the digital content ever changes, your printer can re-assign links or revise hotspot locations without the need for costly reprints.

Because Clickable Paper can present multiple calls to action and allows for greater design flexibility, the future of printed material seems bright. "We are known for providing innovative solutions so offering Clickable Paper to our customers was an easy decision," said Galloway. "As customers begin using it and become more comfortable with it, they will discover new and creative ways to use it."