QR Code printing

QR-codes are easy to handle in the press room, and it’s funny to combine two such different technologies as QR-codes and the more than 570 years old letterpress trade. You can set them by hand or get them made digitally in PP. I would assume that you could cut them in lino too.
Try to get the best coverage of the ink as possible. But as I understand the technology it’s a matter of contrasts – so I would assume that a coverage of more than 75 % or so would work – I have printed the hand set code in copper on green, and it scans well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bogtrykkeren/sets/72157629865876070/
Gott grüß die Kunst
Jens

I have to say, this is brilliant Jens.
I thought about doing this with upside down font and printing with the foot, but couldn’t find enough font that I didn’t like to do it with

Great stuff!

Etinink ,why would you tip up your type ? just use quads and build the height up from behind.

Even easier, just send the job to Jens.

dick ,out work never kept a business healthy !But i guess your retort will be that working and stress are as bad for the printer!

Peter - probably because sometimes I perversely overlook the blindingly obvious :o)
(.918 - .72 is erm, erm ….)

Seriously, thanks Peter

Good idea – send all your jobs to me :-)
It isn’t very difficult to compose a QR-code as long you are using material cast on ems. I used 6 punkt brass rules, but I will assume that ornaments or em spaces can be used too.
In my first attempt I tried to compose from a mirror image, but after a few pieces I went back to the good old traditional way – upside down, left to the right.
4 hours of work and you have a code
Gott grüß die Kunst
Jens

Very nice! Scanned Flickr image on screen and got your site. Now if I had only paid attention to my Danish teacher instead of dreaming of delicious breakfast treats I would have been able to read the content.
Stuart

I’ve was printing about 12 months and created a QR code, had a polymer plate made and used it for business cards. Really easy and fun and they worked! Neil

Excellent information! Thank you everyone! I’m sure I’ll just do PP…seems the easiest, and then I can get the size I need, which is pretty small.

Jennifer

Jens,

PS Your cards are beautiful!

Jens is fortunate to have a nice selection of type-high brass to build his code with. We can all be envious of that.

As far as having a plate made, doing them in PP is probably a piss poor idea… since your URL or email, or whatever “drive to” the QR references probably won’t change. You’re better off having copper etched. It will last far longer than plastic, and you’ll hold detail better, especially as the dot pattern becomes more fine for longer URIs. PP eventually curls up and dies.

Flipping sorts on their face wont work either since foundry type has a foot, or is milled, and Monotype at comp sizes never has a smooth face appropriate for such a task.

I had laughed a year ago with Dan at The ARM suggesting he and Micah at the Dale Guild engrave two mats (printing, and non-printing) and cast up QR code fonts. An idea ahead of it’s time, I don’t believe it gained any traction. Micah’s busy engraving mats for another huge project anyway.

One might be able to build QRs from the several 6pt and 12pt solid square Monotype sorts from M&H, or Swamp Press, but the problem is they don’t align without gaps. Ed at Swamp has a Benton engraver, someone should coax him into engraving those mats…