QR Codes in Church Print Material
One of my current responsibilities at my church is creating the weekly bulletin and other print material. A few months ago I began putting QR Codes [quick read codes] into our bulletin and other promotional material when it makes sense.
If you are not yet familiar with these codes, they simply provide a graphic to scan with a barcode reader app such as ScanLife on your smart phone or tablet device. After scanning, it can lead you directly to a website address, phone number, text, note or video.
Not only is this very practical as it lets people get to where you want quickly without typing, but it also adds fun to the mix. It turned our print material into something interactive with video, audio and the web directly from a piece of paper.
I have created the codes at qrcode.kaywa.com in the past, but there are many simple QR creator sites out there including the one I currently use – www.beqrious.com. Both of these are free and work for print if the graphic you create is small in size. Some of these sites do not produce print quality graphics. I do not think the site that I use creates at the highest print quality, but the key is that it works when people scan it. It has worked for me so far, but you will want to test it before printing for your entire congregation.
Basically, I create the QR Code using the site which creates the graphic. I right click on the graphic and view the image in a new tab or window. Then, I download it and pull it into Photoshop to insert it into the print material. You might have to convert it to RGB color mode in Photoshop for it to work, but it does work.
Then I can place it like any other graphic in my print material. Just don’t skew it or make it so small it is not scannable. Also, be sure to provide a good explanation of what to do and where it leads. I usually put something like… Scan this code with a barcode or QR code reader App on your smart phone or mobile device.
. Just make sure that even non tech people can understand or it will cause frustration and TEST IT!.
Yes, it is true that not everyone will be able to participate. But, if you have a majority of smart phone users in your church, it is worth the effort.
