JR West and SmartEX reservation system

I would like to reserve train tickets (including shinkansen) in advance for my November trip in Japan. I've seen that SmartEX and JR West website are two solid choices.
But how does it work?
Will I receive qr codes on my smartphone as ticket or do I still have to go to the counter at the station to get the actual physical ticket?

I would prefer to avoid waiting times, that's why I'm trying to reserve train tickets at home in advance.

by Polarstrike