A QR code on a screen can be fixed in a minute. A QR code on 5,000 flyers can't. Print gets one chance, so it pays to get the code right before it goes to the printer.
How big should the code be?
The rule of thumb: the code should be at least a tenth of the distance people scan it from.
| Scan distance | Code at least | Typical print |
|---|---|---|
| 20 cm | 2 × 2 cm | Notepad, business card, label |
| 50 cm | 5 × 5 cm | Flyer, menu, table stand |
| 1 m | 10 × 10 cm | Poster, shop window |
| 3 m | 30 × 30 cm | Banner, beach flag |
| 10 m | 1 × 1 m | Billboard, building banner |
Two things change that rule:
- Long links make dense codes. A QR code that holds a long web address has more and smaller dots, so it needs to be printed bigger. A dynamic code holds a short link, so it stays readable at smaller sizes.
- Light and angle matter. A code behind glass, on a glossy surface or high up on a wall needs extra room. When in doubt, go one row up in the table.
Where to put it
- Where the eye already stops. Next to the call to action, not in a corner nobody looks at.
- Not on a fold, seam or cutting edge. A crease through the code is the most common reason a printed code fails.
- On the flattest part. On a mug, pen or bag, keep the code small and away from curves.
- With a reason to scan. "Scan for the menu" or "Scan to book" next to the code roughly doubles the chance people do.
Which file to send
Download the code as SVG. It's a vector file, so it scales to any size, from a business card to a banner, without blurring, and printers can work with it directly. PNG is fine for small items you print yourself.
Five checks before the run
- Contrast. Dark dots on a light background. Light-on-dark designs scan worse on older phones. DotQR checks every design and warns you when it's hard to read.
- White margin. Leave a quiet border around the code.
- The real destination. Test the proof with the link you'll actually use, not a placeholder.
- A few phones. Scan the proof with an iPhone and an Android, in the light where it will hang.
- A code you can still change. With a dynamic code, a typo in the destination or a page that moves later is a two-minute fix in the dashboard, not a reprint.
One code per print run
If you print the same flyer for three neighbourhoods, or a poster in two designs, give each its own dynamic code. You'll see exactly which one people scan, and next time you know where your print budget works.
Make sure it keeps working
Print lasts for years, so the code must too. Before you print a dynamic code, check what its provider does when you stop paying. At DotQR, your printed codes never break: they keep pointing where they point today, with no end date and no scan limit.
See all the ways to use QR codes on print under Solutions.