Definition
A QR code, short for quick-response code, is a type of two-dimensional matrix barcode invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara of the Japanese company Denso Wave for labelling automobile parts. It features white and black squares within a square grid featuring fiducial markers on the corners, readable by imaging devices like cameras, and processed using Reed–Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. The required data is then extracted from patterns that are present in both the horizontal and the vertical components of the QR image.
How this term shows up in flipbook work
If you spend time publishing flipbooks, you will run into QR code in one of three places: in the export settings of your design tool, in a compliance or accessibility audit, or in a conversation with an integrator. Knowing the term well enough to recognise it in those moments saves a meeting. The full Wikipedia article, linked below, goes much deeper into the history and the standards bodies behind it — we keep this glossary short on purpose so it stays useful as a quick reference.
Where to go next
- Browse the feature guides — many of them touch on this term in passing.
- Open the how-to library — step-by-step tutorials that put the vocabulary into practice.
- Read the tool reviews — we note which platforms handle this concept well and which leave it to you.
Source: “QR code” on Wikipedia. Text reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Snapshot fetched 22 May 2026.