Interview with Rick Draper, founder of QR2id.com (Australia)

Rick Draper is the founder of Amtac Professional Services Pty. Ltd. and original programmer behind QR2id.com, based out of Australia but QR id’ing around the world! CNCKing.com is now an official partner with QR2id.com and I’ll be using this myself to track conversions in my upcoming book, CNCKing.com: Rise of the CNC ~ Ultimate CNC Design Course.

I wanted to interview him to gain additional insight in his business and the benefits that can be had with yours by adopting QR2id.com into your business model (special discount below).

Can you tell me a bit about your background Rick and how you first got into QR codes?

At around the time Steve Jobs was starting Apple, I was learning FORTRAN at school as part of the first ever trial “computing” class offered in my home state of Queensland in Australia. Our school did not have a computer (it was the 70’s) and the teacher would send off the computer cards we had marked with our programs, to be run at the education department’s computer – we would get the results back a week later. While I didn’t initially pursue a computer related career, I have always maintained an interest in software and at various times have had cause to learn and use programming skills, including attending a class in 1995 on writing code to allow information to be displayed on this new concept called the “Internet”.

For most of my career I have been involved in one way or another with protective security and crime prevention, and established Amtac in 1993 as a Security Risk Management consultancy and training business. It struck me fairly early on that the web provided a convenient way to collect and analyse information, and I started writing web-based applications that we used as part of our consulting activities. In 1998 I wrote our first on-line database application for a government client, and that application was live for the next 10 years (an eternity in Internet terms) and the first of many web-based solutions for clients.

While I had been aware of QR Codes and 2-D barcodes more broadly for some time, it was not until 2008/2009 when one of our security consultancy clients asked about being able to validate ID cards in the field that the idea of QR2id initially took shape.

What is it about QR codes that made you think there was a viable business opportunity not only for yourself but other businesses that partner up with you?

QR Codes can of course be read by any of the generic applications that work on Smart Phones. A QR Code essentially contains more data than is possible with 1-D barcodes, and the scanning application is able to look at that data and decide what to do with it; the most common action being to open a web page with the web-address that was encoded in the QR Code. For the ID Card verification application I mentioned previously, this was the key to success – scan the QR2id Code on the ID Card and, subject to security restrictions, the current details of the cardholder can be displayed on the screen to verify; completely independent of any proprietary software on the Smart Phone. i.e. display the status of the cardholder (are they still employed?), the status of the card (has it been reported lost or deactivated for some reason?), and the photo of the cardholder as it was originally printed on the card (has the card been modified or forged to include the face of an imposter?).

We sold this concept to the University of Southern Queensland, where they are currently using it successfully to verify student cards in examinations. The techniques we employ allow QR2id Codes to be incorporated in existing card printing processes, and are extremely adaptable to any circumstance. Having established the core infrastructure to support QR2id, we started looking for other applications and expanded expanded QR2id to support loss prevention, personal safety, maintenance and a range of other corporate and personal applications.

Our business model for QR2id is to focus on web-application and product development and look for partners that can use QR2id to expand opportunities with their own operations. For example, a school could become a Fundraising Partner, earning commission through sales of QR2id loss prevention and personal safety products. A manufacturer can incorporate QR2id Codes on their products to add value to their own processes (such as providing access to manuals, documents, etc.) or to add value for their clients with QR2id working in a traditional loss prevention role (such as QR2id Code on a luggage tag).

We see QR codes in trade shows, in books and even on supermarket shelves. What is it about QR codes that make them so ubiquitous as a powerful marketing tool?

Anyone can generate a QR Code with the myriad free applications on the Internet. Most QR Codes point directly to a website, with that web address being hard coded into the QR Code; once the QR Code is generated the destination can’t be changed. Some link shortening services, such as Google, can be used to create a QR Code with an embedded address that redirects to your intended target from the shortened address. This provides more flexibility, and is a technique gaining momentum in many marketing applications.

QR Codes were invented in 1994 but their use in marketing has been relatively recent, as businesses recognise the power of a generic scanning application allowing convenient access to web-sites. i.e. No need to try to get customers to type long web addresses into a browser – just scan and in most cases the application launches the browser for you.

There are other types of information/actions that can be embedded in QR Codes and recognised by QR Reader apps, and these include:

• Bookmark a Website
• Initiate a Phone Call
• Send an SMS
• Send an E-Mail
• Create a vCard entry in your contacts
• Create Blackberry Messenger User
• Create a vCalendar Event in your calendar
• Pinpoint a location on Google Maps
• Pinpoint a location on Bing Maps
• Present Geographical Coordinates
• Open an iTunes App URL
• Open an Android Market App URL
• Initiate an Android Market Search URL
• Generate a Tweet on Twitter
• Initiate connection to a WIFI Network; or simply
• Present free formatted text

Can you give me some more exotic examples of your QR2id.com codes in use today?

Apart from the USQ application mentioned previously, QR2id is being used on ID cards for a Victorian Government agency, Australian Red Cross overseas volunteers through AusAid, as well as Austraining International and Australian Business Volunteers.

One of the basic functions of QR2id is that if someone finds an item with a QR2id Code, they can scan that code or enter the Serial Number at QR2id.com to get in contact with the owner, without the owner having had to reveal their contact details. A simple web-form is presented and when the finder fills out the form, the message they submit is securely sent to the owner by email and/or SMS – you can set multiple parallel communication paths. QR2id Code owners can also set In-Case-of-Emergency (*ICE*) information to be accessible only to authorised emergency services personnel.

QR2id Discs are being applied in loss prevention applications on everything from keys to USB thumb drives, pets to camping equipment. These durable anodised aluminium discs are marked with a CO2 laser and are easy to scan (the instructions are on the back).

QR2id Weather-Resistant Stickers are being used on bike helmets to provide access to *ICE* Information. They are also being put on equipment and the QR2id Service used to record information about to whom it has been loaned and to set reminders.

One innovative application for QR2id Stickers that takes advantage of the QR2id Logging functions, is its use on reptile enclosures – snake owners scan the QR2id Code when they need to record feeding and other observations (https://QR2id.com/wildlife). The same concept is used on QR2id Key Rings to log mileage for business/personal use in the car (https://QR2id.com/tax).

QR2id Codes can be configured to require GPS coordinates from the scanner, allowing them to be used for service and security applications. One client has QR2id Code on equipment and has the QR2id Service configured to log the scan location along with service details to confirm the technician was on site and not just scanning a photo of the QR Code from the comfort of the beach somewhere.

While there is a great deal that can be done with QR2id, it is important to note that the QR2id Personal Service works in contact mode without any configuration needed. i.e. without any additional configuration, a new owner of a QR2id Code can attach it to an item and if that code is scanned, they will get an email advising them of that happening, and if someone fills out the contact form, that message will also be sent to them by email.

What are some of the challenges present within the QR codes industry? Do people need to download software for them to work with their phone?

The biggest issue remains public awareness of QR Codes and confidence in their use as a tool for more than just a shortcut to a website. This is changing as QR Codes are being seen on more products, but a person needs to be motivated to download a QR Reader for their Smart Phone. Some Smart Phones now come with a QR Reader as one of the default apps and there are literally hundreds of other QR Reader apps across the entire range of Smart Phones – e.g. QRafter.com for the iPhone.

One issue that needs to be recognised is that not all QR Reader apps follow the standards, and as such some QR Codes may not be read with apps that are not fully standards compliant. QR2id takes this into account to ensure that QR2id Codes are able to be read by the widest possible range of QR Code Readers.

Another issue is that the target web-pages from QR Code scans need to be Smart Phone friendly – i.e. they can’t be a standard web-site that is designed for viewing on a desktop PC, or the user experience will be poor (having the enlarge the web page and scroll across to navigate). QR2id is built with what is called “Responsive Design”, allowing it to work effectively across a wide range of screen sizes from the smallest Blackberry to a 27” iMac.

Can you explain how exactly how the QR2id.com system works from original phone scan to finished embeded action? How does my phone know where to go and how does the QR code lead to an interpretation for a specific action by my phone? How does my phone differentiate between a QR2id.com code and that of another company?

The web-address embedded in the QR Code for a QR2id Code includes a Serial Number, and this same Serial Number is always printed in a human-friendly format along with the QR2id Code (e.g. the web-address in the QR2id Code might be HTTPS://QR2ID.NET/?X@HJT6BNMNJMKK, which matches Serial Number: HJT6-BNMN-JMKK). When the QR Code (or more correctly, QR2id Code) is scanned using the QR Reader app on a Smart Phone, the web-address is decoded and in most cases the app recognises that what you want is for a web-browser to be launched and to view the web address that was in the QR Code. Equally, the QR2id Serial Number can be entered directly at QR2id.com and the QR2id Code decoded manually.

With QR2id, an intermediate web-page is presented while any applicable preliminary settings for that scan are processed, such as “Notify on Scan”, “Request GPS Location Data”, or “Website Redirect”. Depending upon these settings, a QR2id.com web page then opens containing the information / forms as configured by the QR2id Code owner. This might include text based information, a contact form, photos, or even documents and logging facilities.

Your Smart Phone doesn’t need to know that it is scanning a QR2id Code. The QR Code is simply differentiated by the web address. All QR2id Codes have https://QR2id.net as the domain, followed by some parameters that have meaning behind the scenes of QR2id.com. It is all transparent to the user.

You recently purchased a Trotec Speedy 300 Flexx. Can you tell me a little about your experience with this machine so far and what it has to do with QR2id.com?

We have been using the Flexx 300 for prototyping, initial production runs of QR2id Products, and for custom applications, such as Stainless Steel Equipment Plates with QR2id Codes for clients including Prime Pump Co. (see https://www.facebook.com/QR2id).

Our development process would have taken much longer without the Flexx 300. Having the two laser sources in the one machines is so efficient, allowing us to mark anodised aluminium, directly anneal stainless steel, and to mark polycarbonate and polyethylene (with an additive). We also use the Trotec laser to kiss-cut our polymer QR2id Stickers, cut QR2id Stencils, cut out QR2id Garment labels (sealing the edges from fraying) and to cut sheets of acrylic to make jigs for marking QR2id Discs and QR2id Plates.

One interesting material we have found and are now using is what we call our “Resilient Sticker/Stencil”. This material is effectively a sticker on an acrylic backing, but the substrate is able to be indelibly marked with a CO2 laser, creating a UV resistant, chemical resistant, abrasion resistant and temperature resilient sticker. We use colours in Job Control to have the Trotec Flexx 300 apply different power/speed settings for different aspects of the sticker, allowing us to not only create the QR2id Code and text, but also to cut a stencil through which a marking solution can be applied through the sticker (to indelibly mark the surface underneath), but also kiss-cut the sticker shape and cut up the material into individual stickers (see https://QR2id.com/resilient).

We have of course used the Trotec Flexx 300 to engrave QR2id Codes directly onto products, such as iPads. Unlike other forms of property marking, QR2id Codes are fully transferrable (with authorisation), making direct engraving viable for items that may be resold in the future.

We are looking for QR2id Production Partners with their own lasers to leverage the power of QR2id to increase the return on their investment (https://QR2id.com/partners) and Trotec Laser is supporting this initiative.

What is it about about a Trotec Laser that won you over when you were looking at acquiring a laser engraver?

When we first started looking at how we could cost-effectively create QR2id Products, we were told that what we wanted to do wasn’t really possible. However, Trotec Laser was willing to let us test our theories at open days and provide technical guidance and suggestions – I genuinely feel that Trotec have a direct interest in our business succeeding, not just selling us a machine.

If I were to list three qualities that won our business:

1. A genuine interest in what we wanted to do
2. Direct support and encouragement
3. After sales customer service.

I have run my own businesses since 1986 and I have never been treated as well by a supplier as I have by Trotec Laser – if the intention was to build brand loyalty and customer satisfaction… mission accomplished!

Are there any technological limitations that currently exist with QR codes? Do you have to register with an international database or association in order for them to work internationally?

There are no technical limitations with QR Codes, as such. If being used to access web pages, such as with QR2id, the scanning device/Smart Phone needs to have Internet access and this can be an issue in some remote locations. But outside that, you can put whatever you like in the QR Code and most QR Reader apps will decode it correctly and initiate the intended action.

QR2id maintains its own database of globally unique Serial Numbers, which have been generated to maximise legibility and minimise confusion. There are in excess of 599,555,620,984,320,000 combinations in the current QR2id Code format, and billions more through subtle variances used for specific applications. For all but very few specific applications, no two QR2id Products ever have the same QR2id Code. This ensures that each is able to be managed independently. These limited exceptions include, for example, a QR2id Code on an iPhone and that QR2id Code being replicated as the lock-screen image on the phone.

Anything else you wish to add?

We are delighted to have you as a QR2id Business Development Partner and can see lots of opportunities for the future, such as QR2id Code Stencils for download from CNCKing.com.

QR2id discount promo code

You can find-out more about Trotec Laser at TrotecLaser.com.au (Australia) or TrotecLaser.com (worldwide).