The 2D barcode has many advantages over the traditional barcode. The 2D code holds more information without having to create a long barcode. The 2D barcode works in horizontal and vertical encoding with sophisticated error checking and can store up to 4000 characters making it ideal for more advanced encoding including a web address or image. The 2D barcode also has fewer errors, the higher data capacity and built-in error checking system mean damaged code can still be read in many cases. The 2D barcode is also incredibly accessible to anyone with a smartphone and often free decoding software means no special scanners are required as the barcode can be read with the built-in camera.