A QR code is only as good as the place it’s printed. Choose the surface, then the job the code does there: a manual on a box, a line-up on a poster, opening hours in a window, a price list in a catalog, a schedule on a badge.
Riverside Makers Market
Sat 15 May · 10–5
Illustrations of printed pieces with fictional businesses. Every code on this page opens this page.
Each guide covers what people want from that surface, which QR type fits, where the code goes on the piece, and how to create it.
Boxes, labels and inserts that open the manual, setup video or reorder page, long after the print run.
Boxes · Labels · Inserts · Instruction cards
Handouts, event posters and notices with a code people can find, read and scan from where they stand.
Flyers · Event posters · Notices · Handouts
Window stickers and door signs that answer passers-by, including when you’re closed.
Shop windows · Entrance signs · Window stickers · After-hours signs
A code per section or product that opens the spec sheet, current price list or demo.
Catalogs · Brochures · Portfolios · Sales handouts
An information code beside the admission barcode: schedule, map, speakers and updates.
Tickets · Conference badges · Exhibitor badges · Festival passes
The surface tells you what people are doing when they see the code. That decides what the scan should open.
Wi-Fi codes are static: the network name and password are inside the code itself, so they can’t be edited or tracked. Every other type can be created as a dynamic code. Compare them all on QR code types.
These apply to every placement. The guides add what’s specific to boxes, posters, glass, paper and badges.
Pale, no margin
Dark, clear margin
Dark modules on a pale background scan most reliably. Pale codes, codes on busy photos and light-on-dark codes cause most failed scans.
Leave empty space around the code, the “quiet zone”. The QR standard asks for a margin four modules wide; don’t let text, folds or a trim edge cut into it.
A flyer is read at arm’s length, a poster across a room. The further away, the larger and simpler the code needs to be. Test a full-size proof from the spot people will stand.
Curves, folds, heavy gloss, foil and creased board distort or reflect the code. Use the flattest panel and keep finishes off the code.
Glare on glass, low sun and dark corners stop phones focusing. Check the spot at the times people will be there, including after dark.
Say what the scan opens: “Scan for the setup video”. QR Rapid frames can hold up to 30 characters of text around the code.
Once a code is on ten thousand boxes or a shop window, the only part you can still change is where it leads. That’s what a dynamic code is for.
Give each placement its own dynamic code. Duplicate the first, rename each copy after where it’s printed, keep them in a folder, and filter Statistics by code or folder to see which surface gets scanned. Want campaign tags in your web analytics as well? Paste an address that already carries your utm_ tags. Your plan sets how many dynamic codes you can create.
A dynamic code works while it’s active in your QR Rapid account; if it’s deactivated (for example when a plan ends), scans show an inactive-code page until you reactivate it.
Some surfaces belong to one kind of business, so they live with it in QR codes by industry.
A vCard code saves your details to their phone; a dynamic one stays current when your number changes.
A menu code on the table, edited dish by dish when something sells out.
Window offers, notebook stickers and luggage tags, with examples of what fits on something small.
Room guides, help-desk links and guest Wi-Fi on signs around the building.
Agenda boards, entrance signs and exit banners across a venue.
One printed code for every social profile, on the pieces customers take away.
Where people pause, with a hand to spare and a reason to look closer: a box they’ve just opened, a counter, a table, a poster at a stop or a badge at a networking session. Avoid spots where people walk past quickly, the code is out of reach, or the light is poor.
Low contrast, no clear margin around the code, printing it too small for the distance people stand at, a curved, folded or glossy surface, and poor light. Logos and styled dots are fine when contrast stays strong. Print a proof and scan it where it will be used before the full run.
A static code is fixed to what you typed when you made it and can’t be tracked. A dynamic code opens a short QR Rapid link, so you can change where it goes after printing and see how often it’s scanned. A dynamic code works while it’s active in your QR Rapid account; if it’s deactivated (for example when a plan ends), scans show an inactive-code page until you reactivate it.
Only if you want to compare them. One code on everything is simpler; one code per placement, such as a window sticker and a flyer, lets you see which gets scanned. Create one dynamic code, duplicate it, rename each copy after where it’s printed, and filter Statistics by code or folder. Your plan sets how many dynamic codes you can create.
SVG is a vector file that stays sharp at any size, so it suits print artwork and designers. PNG, JPEG and PDF downloads are also available in the dashboard.
You can choose a type and design the code in the generator. Design the code in the generator, then create your account to download it. Every account starts with a 7-day free trial, no credit card required.
Pick a type, add your content and design the code. Design the code in the generator, then create your account to download it. Every account starts with a 7-day free trial, no credit card required.