Colors are assigned to identifiers in a default arrangement.  Identifiers are assigned to alphanumeric characters in a default arrangement. Words and phrases are thus translated into a series of colors. A code embodying this sequence of colors is scanned and decoded to yield the intended content.  Included in the code are colors that are used for calibration rather than for encoding content, such that color variation between printers can be accommodated for reliable scanning. 
Information density is further enhanced by including special characters and the most common letter combinations, entire words, and whole phrases in the default id-to-content matrix.  Users of the Chromocode can re-assign default color, indentifier and content assignments so as to increase information density and aesthetic appeal by visiting a website and entering new assignments.  The url of a customized vocabulary XML document is then included in the Chromocode so that the customized vocabulary can be used to decode the rest of the Chromocode.  Information density is further enhanced by referencing entire XML documents--of unlimited size--in the code and then including the content of the target reference document in the content of decoded Chromocode.  So as to fully capitalize on the power of unlimited information density, the target reference document content can be modified through the use of editing commands included in the Chromocode itself.  Thus, a unique document the size of a cargo ship full of phone books can be encoded in an optical symbol that takes up as much space as a conventional barcode.
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