An Australian inventor has created an alternative to the QR code commonly used on printed materials and packaging, with a new font-based scannable technology known as the Shomi Link.

Shomi Link is a nine-character font that is generated, then copied and pasted into any printed materials. Each link connects to a specific piece of digital content and can be changed at any time.  

By incorporating the Shomi Link, packaging manufacturers can use the links to contain videos, further product information and contact forms which can then be scanned and accessed by the consumer, without the need to take up lots of space on the packaging.

The Shomi Link was created by Melbournian Tony Williams with James Oppenheim and Peter Kumaschow who all have a background in web design and software development. 

Williams says he came up with the idea for Shomi when he was flipping through a magazine and came across a square scannable code which took up too much space on an advertisement page. 

He later pitched the idea to Google Australia and was one of 10 Australian business chosen to participate in Google Australia’s 2014 Start-up program.

Williams says, “A font-based link provides the versatility that packaging designers need, particularly when there are space constraints.

“The beauty of the Shomi Link is that it comfortably fits into a line of text, in any size or colour, allowing more online resources to be included in a single packaging design.” 

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