Caltopia gives over 30,000 University of California Berkeley students, administrators and campus supporters a chance to experience the latest products, services and programs from local and national exhibitors. This year, the two-day event was held on Sunday, Aug. 22 and Monday, Aug. 23.

Where does sustainable printing come in? Greenerprinter is the exclusive printer for Cal Recreational Sports (the campus resource that also created and hosts Caltopia) and our green signage and printed products were displayed throughout the event. And for this year’s festival, Greenerprinter sponsored the Caltopia and printed a QR Scavenger hunt in an effort to raise awareness for the use of QR (Quick Response) codes on campus.

Like Greenerprinter, UC Berkeley has a history of evolving in bright, new directions to support environmental endeavors. In fact, in November, 2007 UC Berkeley’s Office of Sustainability formalized a “Statement of Our Commitment to the Environment.” By July of 2008, the office had mapped out nearly 200 campus energy efficiency projects.

It’s clear that UC Berkeley intends to be a leader on environmental issues, and partnering with Greenerprinter for eco-friendly signage and printed materials is a strong step in changing business practices.

But what if you didn’t have to choose between one or the other? Imagine if you could combine print and technology and get the best of both worlds: A printed piece that can reach people offline, with the ability to easily update information online.

Enter QR Codes.

QR codes are “Quick Response” codes that were developed in Japan, have been used extensively there, and are now making their way to the U.S. They work by allowing a user with a smart phone to take a picture of the code, which then directs them to a website with more information.

QR codes can be used on a variety of products:

• Banners: Users can automatically be taken to an event schedule or other relevant web page.
• Business cards: Contact info can automatically be added to a user’s address book.
• Brochures or postcards: Users can automatically get directions to your location via Google Maps.
• Real estate flyers: Users will automatically be taken to an online listing with more details about the property.
• Hang tags or packaging: Users can find out more information about your product.

This is truly a revolutionary way of reaching the growing number of people using smart phones.

The best part about this is that it is easy and inexpensive for you to print QR codes on your next order. Just select the “Add QR code” option to your print specifications on our website and you’ll be able to enter your QR code information in moments. And the best part is that this great technology is also insanely affordable; on most items, it will only cost an extra $5.

Have you used QR codes yet? If so, we’d love to hear your experience with them!