1. Realize that QR codes are not used by everyone. While QR codes are gaining traction low adoption rates are tied with the smartphone market: not everyone has one, and those that own one do not necessarily use a QR code reader app. In some cases, this can limit your audience. That is, those that would scan a QR code “frequently” may have a penchant for the latest and greatest technologies. Take your customers into account when deciding to deploy a QR code system. A quilt shop customer base will be vastly different from that of a retail electronics store, and a garden center patron will have different likes than a sports fan. So if your product is generally geared towards older adults, the less technically savvy, or someone that’s never bought anything online then QR codes may not be as effective as you would like.

2. Like UPC’s,  QR codes generally look the same. A human trying to read a QR code is like reading Sanskrit. Good luck! In order for you to know what data a QR code has in it you will need a system, internal to your company, that matches something human-readable with the QR code. This can be as simple as naming your art file the same as the URL embedded into your QR code or a print-out that has a human-readable counterpart to each QR code deployed in your company. This will help with managing your QR code inventory.

3. Keep your QR codes in vector or a high-quality raster image. If you have a good quality print of your QR code then smartphones should not have a problem scanning them, and doing it quickly. A very small QR code with low dots per inch will give your app reader headaches. There are error-correction tools that you can use when generating your code but they add complexity to the blocks in the code matrix. With a high-quality art file you can be assured that the code will be readable and can scale up or down with little or no loss of resolution.

4. Understand that the more data you embed the more complex the dot pattern. If you have an extreme amount of info to convey you can embed it directly into the code or setup a URL that has the information. Just be sure the art file is high-res; see #3. You can use a URL shortening service, such as bit.ly, and that will save some text real estate. However, there is a limitation with using these systems…

5. The only 3rd party URL shortening system you should trust for long-term use are… none of them. Have you ever tried getting support from the companies that run search engines, social media sites, or email programs (e.g., Google Calendar, Facebook, Twitter,  Outlook)? I challenge anyone to find a support number or customer service contact page for those services. Do you really want to trust a 3rd party URL shortening service with a QR code that requires it be readable 3 years from now? (side note: will we still be using QR codes in 2014?) Businesses get sold, go belly-up, or grow to a point where they do not respond in a nimble-like fashion to their customers. Another problem is that of URL shortening website changes that may break your link. That’s the problem: stability for your mission-critical initiatives. In fact I am surprised, for example, by how invested a business can be in their URL of http://an-infamous-social-media-site.com/your-irreplaceable-companyname-or-brandname. Ask Ars Technica how that went. The only way to trust a URL shortening service for the long-term is to install your own. You can still track QR codes with proper landing page setups or your own URL shortener.

The benefits of QR codes are many but the cost is high if deployed incorrectly. So test test test, and test again. Use different smartphones and see how your data comes up, and have a plan for the long and medium-term, not just the near future. Your company will look golden if used correctly. Good luck!

We have a variety of cool prints and styles to choose from and now they are available at The Guild, a local upscale gift shop specializing in curated works from artists and photographers, etc.

Come visit us at The Guild at 4416 Excelsior Blvd, St Louis Park. We’ll be there on May 14th, 2011 celebrating their Summer Fun Second Saturday event. Our bags will be on display, including these fun animal designs:

Green Bag Specifications
- 100% made in the USA, both labor and materials
- Approximately 16″ x 16″ with a 4″ bottom
- Straps are either cotton or nylon
- Regular bag has 27″ straps
- Image is printed on both sides of bag
- Bags can be thrown in washer and dryer

Quick Green Bag Facts
- Soda and water bottles take 700 years to break down in landfills
- The fabric used to make these bags is made from 100% post-consumer material
- 10 plastic bottles = 1 pound of polyester fabric
- 1 pound of polyester fabric = approximately 1 yard of fabric
- 1 yard of fabric = 2 green bags

We are especially interested in textile and fabric advances but the entire series seems very interesting.

If you’re a manufacturing shop what aspects of this series interests you?

If you’re just starting to look at Green Manufacturing then these tips can serve as components for your new program:

• Give a motivated employee the added responsibility of Recycling Officer, to ensure compliance and accountability with your green efforts
• Setup some bins and start recycling cans, bottles, and paper; let everyone know where they are located!
• Identify recyclable materials in your manufacturing process to see if there are opportunities to reduce waste
• Check with vendors to see if they have a “send back” program where they accept the waste from their particular inputs into your manufacturing process
• A quality control program will help to eliminate defects, thus reducing waste
• Look into updating or upgrading machinery that reduces energy or increases efficiency

This is by no means a complete list of Green Manufacturing tips but starting with these ideas will get your company well on its way to becoming greener and more profitable.

As a light manufacturing shop, Banner Creations has an active recycling program that has effectively identified some of our manufacturing material as recyclable; many of our fabric substrates come from recycled soda pop & water bottles and our ink is water-based. And we accept “send backs” for recycling, such as our Ecophab™ banners.

As a member of the Fabric Graphics Association, a division of the Indusrial Fabrics Association International, we are committed to supporting sustainable business practices of the textile and graphics industry. Having a seat at the table reaffirms our green efforts, as stated in our company’s mission statement, and supports FGA and IFAI’s mission.

Congratulations Nora!

Consumer confidence seems to be coming back and signs say it could continue due to growing initiatives such as the 3/50 project where consumers are encouraged to spend $50 at each of three different locally owned businesses per month. Studies have shown that for every $1 spent at an independently owned company approximately $0.68 cents is returned to the local community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures verses spending with national chains only bringing back about $0.43 cents on the dollar.

 The proverbial ripple created by the spending pebble dropped in the local commerce pond expands even further than that; according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune a survey published in 2009 by CEOs for the Cities found that homes located within walking distance of neighborhood businesses held their value through the housing collapse better than those with out retail nodes.

 While things seem to be moving in the right direction many are still having a tough time just making ends meet, but we are all consumers on a daily basis to one degree or another it’s just a choice of where and how we spend that can make the difference.

Banner Creations producer of the VONNcouver banners on Green/Eco Friendly material, was featured on the KARE 11 news 6 pm broadcast February 17^th 2010. It was the same day Lindsey Vonn’s family was displaying the banner at the Vancouver Olympics in support of her Gold Medal performance.

Kenneth Dean, Account Manager with Banner Creations, who worked with Lindsey Vonn’s Uncle to help produce the VONNcouver banners said, “It’s great even in the smallest way to be part of a worldwide event like the Olympics especially when supporting an incredible hometown and now Gold Metal athlete like Lindsey Vonn!”

Banner Creations is woman owned and has been a green printer since 1993. Eco Act II, Eco Non-Woven, and the Eco Flag material used on the VONNcouver banner are American made from 100% post consumer certified recycled soda bottles. This material is durable and has great print quality through a dye sublimation process using water based inks. The eco fabric can be treated for FR certification, is machine washable, and after it’s use as a banner, trade show display, table cover, or flag, BCI can recycle it again to be used in carpet padding or insulation. For more information, and to see the KARE 11 news coverage go to: www.bannercreations.com & http://www.kare11.com/video/default.aspx#/Local/Vonncouver%20banners/48173211001/48322959001/67363487001