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About this lesson
Learn how to use Quick Response (QR) Codes, which are device-scanable images that will deliver information or send the user to a product webpage.
Lesson versions
Multiple versions of this lesson are available, choose the appropriate version for you:
2016, 2019/365.
Exercise files
Download this lesson’s exercise file.
Creative Ideas - QR Codes in Catalogs.docx371 KB
Quick reference
Creative Ideas - QR Codes in Catalogs
A Quick Response or “QR” Code is a device-scannable image that will send the user to a website and/or return information about the scanned product, like a marketing message.
When to use
Including a QR code image into a catalog is a creative idea to provide more information than possible on a print publication, for instance, sending the user to a website product page.
Instructions
- Continue from the previous lesson on how to Create a Catalog.
It will be necessary to create the QR Codes and save them to your database location. This is a time consuming step, but a necessary one.
- Create the QR Codes by searching the internet for a “Free QR Code Generator”. At the time of writing this instruction page, the site www.QRstuff.com is used for the video lesson.
- Enter the website or text message for each product.
- Click the “DOWNLOAD QR CODE” for each product.
- Make sure you can find where the QR Codes saved on your computer system.
- Edit the catalog database and add a new field called “QR Code” and update the catalog layout.
- To edit the existing database in Publisher, you will click
and then click Edit List:
- Select the name of the Data Source, then click EDIT.
- Add the field “QR Code” then enter the file locations of each QR Code that corresponds to the product on each line:
- To edit the existing database in Publisher, you will click
- The entire ribbon will be active at this point and you can finish the catalog project:
- To merge product information into the Catalog pages, click the “Text Field” button and arrange the fields to your preference.
- This is a good time to also format the font of the Text Fields.
- Be careful not to delete the arrows on either side of the text field or it won’t find the corresponding database entry.
- To include a QR Code image with the catalog items, click the “Picture Field” button and place the “QR CODE” field into the layout to your preference.
Note: if images do not appear as expected, confirm the database contains the correct file location of each picture as well as the file type extension: .JPG or .TIF or .PNG - To arrange the entire catalog, click the Layout gallery and choose a layout of your preference.
- When the fields are all in place, click the “Merge to New” button and review the catalog for any changes or edits, then Print the finished catalog.
- 00:04 Coming right off the previous video about catalogs, we're gonna take that catalog
- 00:08 a step further and we're gonna add a thing called a QR called.
- 00:11 Now if you've never heard of a QR code, I've got a site open.
- 00:15 It's a qrstuff.com.
- 00:17 At this point in time, this is a free site and this is called QR code.
- 00:22 QR stands for quick response.
- 00:25 Most people can take their smart phones, point them at a QR code.
- 00:28 It will read it and give you a message.
- 00:31 It might take you to a website of your choice.
- 00:33 It might take you to a Facebook listing.
- 00:35 It might just show you plaintext that the creator of the QR code typed in there.
- 00:42 Now, I went ahead and typed in some plaintext.
- 00:44 This is a QR code for that text and
- 00:47 now all's I have to do is hit Download QR Code.
- 00:50 Now, the word Download simply means save to your computer.
- 00:54 So I went ahead and downloaded it and I'm gonna go ahead, and
- 00:57 click View My Download and there it is.
- 01:02 And then all I have to do, oops, is hit the Open folder and
- 01:06 it will show me exactly where this QR code has been saved.
- 01:09 When I do find it, now I can go ahead and
- 01:12 made move that to my picture file to go along with my catalogs.
- 01:17 Notice that this is called a PNG.
- 01:19 P-N-G file.
- 01:21 So, I'll go ahead and move that.
- 01:24 I cut them from one file, from the download file and
- 01:27 I put them in this other one.
- 01:29 And so, all's I have to do is now go into my
- 01:33 catalog database and add a QR code field.
- 01:37 So, let's go ahead and do that.
- 01:39 Back to my catalog right over here to my Edit List.
- 01:43 I'll go ahead and click on Japan Flowers, click Edit.
- 01:46 And I'm going to add customized fields, Yes and
- 01:51 I'm gonna add my QR Code and hit OK.
- 01:54 Now I'm gonna have a brand new field and let's see,
- 01:57 I'm gonna move that down here beside picture and hit all right.
- 02:01 So, all I have to do is now find where this QR code is stored in the file path.
- 02:08 Well, I happen to have it open right out here in my File system.
- 02:12 I'll go ahead and click on this, copy it.
- 02:15 I know it takes a little work to do this, but
- 02:17 it's going to be worth it if you want to actually use QR codes.
- 02:21 I'll paste that in there with the forward slash, but
- 02:24 now I've got to go get the name of that QR code.
- 02:27 So I'm gonna right-click and rename is the quickest way to open up that, copy it.
- 02:33 Now the only thing I have to remember is to put a .png at the end.
- 02:37 Now again, the way I did that, I did a right-click on the QR code.
- 02:40 Rename opens up the file name.
- 02:43 I can copy and now I'll come right back here to this part.
- 02:49 I'm still editing.
- 02:50 I'm gonna paste, but I added .png.
- 02:54 Remember, without that final type, it will never find your QR code.
- 03:00 I'll go ahead and finish this up just a moment.
- 03:04 Now when you got all your QR code picture, file names in there go and hit OK.
- 03:09 Of course, it's going to ask you to save it.
- 03:11 Yes, hit OK again.
- 03:13 Now, also I have to do is add the QR code to this section.
- 03:17 So, it is a picture field.
- 03:18 So, I'll go ahead and add a Picture or a QR Code field knows it's a picture.
- 03:23 So, I'll add that one.
- 03:24 I move it right over here.
- 03:25 Take a look at what's happening over on the left.
- 03:28 Now, I've got a catalog being designed with pictures and
- 03:31 QR codes right besides them.
- 03:33 Of course, I can make that larger.
- 03:35 But now, you can lay out a catalog on your countertop at your store and
- 03:38 people can just point their device right to that QR code.
- 03:42 It will read it and give them some kind of a marketing information or
- 03:45 take them to a website of your choosing.
- 03:48 It's an awesome feature, but let me give you a warning.
- 03:51 It's a lot of work.
- 03:53 So if you've got a hundred different SKUs or products for sale,
- 03:57 you're gonna have to come in here and make a hundred different QR codes.
- 04:01 It's very time-consuming.
- 04:03 I don't know if you want to do that, but
- 04:05 it's important that you know you can do that.
- 04:08 Now a barcode will only show 16 characters, but
- 04:11 a QR code will show a thousand characters and that is why the industry is going
- 04:16 to QR codes rather than the old standard of barcodes.
- 04:22 When we're done with this, I simply hit my Merge to New and
- 04:26 up opens my new catalog and here we go.
- 04:29 Scroll down and there we have it.
- 04:31 All my descriptions, my pictures and my Q barcodes.
- 04:35 So, there you go.
- 04:36 Have fun with that and I hope it actually works for you.
- 04:39 Thank you.
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