Cauzin Softstrip was a two-dimensional barcode format intended for paper data storage, allowing magazines to distribute computer programs by printing a barcode which stored the program. The barcodes were printed initially in BYTE's October 1985 issue as a "printing experiment" and later publicly introduced in November 1985 at COMDEX.
Softstrip barcodes encoded less than a thousand bytes per square inch, on the format a result being that large files would occupy a large surface area in a magazine. The barcodes didn't work well if the magazine ink was smeared; and the reader hardware was relatively expensive at around $200.
In addition to publishing Softstrips in magazines, Cauzin distributed software to retailers across the US via standalone Softstrip cards under the name StripWare.
Reception "The system works beautifully", David Tebbutt of Personal Computer World wrote in January 1987, "but, at the UK price of £200, I'm having a devil of a job deciding who could justify the price". He concluded that until a compelling business use appeared for it, Softstrip was "'all dressed up, with nowhere to go'".
See also QR codes
References
Further reading
External links Photos of a Cauzin Softstrip Reader Brief history of the Softstrip format Investigation and reproduction of the format in modern times Reverse Engineering The Cauzin Softstrip