QR Codes for Print: Flyers, Posters, Packaging and Business Cards

A QR code turns something printed into a link. Someone points their phone camera at it and lands on your page, with no typing. Done well, it's the easiest way to move people from a poster, a flyer or a box into your world online. Done badly, it's a square nobody can scan.

Link it to a page you can change

This is the most important decision. Once a code is printed, the link inside it can't change. So don't point it straight at a single product page, a sale or an event that will end. Point it at a page you control and can update, such as your link-in-bio page.

That way a flyer printed today still works next year. When the event is over, you change what's on the page, not the thousands of flyers already out there.

Size

A code that's too small won't scan, especially from a distance or in poor light.

• Business cards and labels: about 2 cm (0.8 in) across is a practical minimum.
• Flyers and menus, read at arm's length: 3 to 4 cm or more.
• Posters and signs: a common rule of thumb is to make the code about a tenth of the distance people will scan from. Scanned from 2 meters, aim for at least 20 cm.

When in doubt, go bigger. Nobody complains that a code was easy to scan.

Contrast and colors

Phone cameras need a strong difference between the dark and light parts of the code.

• Dark code on a light background. Black on white is safest. Dark navy or dark green on cream works too.
• Avoid light codes on dark backgrounds. Some scanners handle them; many people's phones will struggle.
• Don't put the code over a photo or pattern. Give it a plain background.

Leave a quiet zone

QR codes need empty space around them, called the quiet zone. The standard asks for a margin at least four of the code's small squares wide on every side. Don't let text, borders or the edge of the page crowd the code.

Tell people why to scan

A bare code gets ignored. Put a short line next to it that says what they'll get:

• "Scan for the full menu"
• "Scan to hear the album"
• "Scan for 10% off your next order"
• "Scan to book a table"

An arrow or a frame around the code helps too.

Where to put it

• At eye level on posters, not near the floor.
• On a flat surface. Codes on curved bottles or creased flyers scan worse.
• Away from glare. Glossy laminate under bright lights can wash a code out. Matte finishes scan more reliably.
• Somewhere people pause: a table, a counter, a queue. A code on a moving bus is decoration.

Test before you print the whole run

Print one copy at the real size and scan it with two or three different phones, in the kind of light where it will hang. Check that the page loads quickly on mobile data, not just on your Wi-Fi. Then print the rest.

Track scans

If you want to know whether the flyer worked, you need to count scans. LiteLinks Pro includes up to 20 QR codes per page. Each one opens your page and counts its scans separately, so you can make one code for the poster and another for the flyer and see which one people actually use.

Make the landing page match

The page someone lands on should obviously match what they scanned. If the poster says "Scan for tickets", the ticket link should be the first button they see. Move it to the top before the poster goes up, and our guide to link titles that get clicks will help you name it.

Using a QR code for a band, a café or a market stall? See our guides for musicians and Etsy sellers, or compare plans.