Qordway

Guide

QR Codes by Use Case

Almost every QR code failure traces back to a decision made before the code was generated: what it links to, whether it can be changed later, and how big it needs to be for where it's going. Those three answers are different for a restaurant table tent than for a shipping label or a yard sign. This guide covers the decisions once, then goes vertical by vertical.

The short version

  • The destination decides everything. Most disappointing QR campaigns link to a homepage instead of the specific thing that was promised.
  • Anything printed in volume wants a dynamic code — it's the only way to fix a wrong link without a reprint.
  • Size to scanning distance, not to layout space: printed width ≈ distance ÷ 10.
  • Always say what the scan gets. A bare code asks for an action with no stated reward.
  • The landing page is judged on mobile, because that's the only way anyone will ever arrive.

What's on this page

The four decisions behind every QR code

Every use case below is a different answer to the same four questions. Getting them right takes about five minutes; getting them wrong is usually only discoverable after printing.

DecisionThe questionDefault answer
DestinationWhat exact page does this open?The specific thing you promised — never a homepage
TypeStatic or dynamic?Dynamic for anything printed at volume
SizeHow far away will people be?Printed width ≈ distance ÷ 10
CopyWhy would anyone scan this?One line stating what they get

Notice what isn't on that list: colour, logo, shape. Those matter for whether a code scans — covered in design and best practices — but they have almost nothing to do with whether a QR campaign works. A perfectly styled code pointing at a homepage is a failure; a plain black-and-white one pointing at the right page is a success.

Where to point it

This is the decision that separates campaigns that work from ones that quietly don't, and it's the one most often delegated to whoever had the website login.

The rule: the scan should land on the thing the code promised, with nothing in between. If the sign says "scan for the menu," the code opens the menu — not the restaurant's homepage with a menu link somewhere in the navigation. Every intermediate tap is a place to lose someone who is standing up, holding a phone, in a hurry.

Two donation flows compared. A code linked to the homepage makes the donor tap through a menu, a ways-to-give page and a donate page before reaching the amount and card form. A code linked straight to the giving form puts the amount field first.
Drawn for donations, but the shape is identical for menus, listings, reviews and check-in. Every box between the scan and the goal costs you people.

Three further rules that apply across every use case:

  • The destination must be mobile-first. 100% of scan traffic is mobile. A desktop-oriented page is a wasted scan, and a PDF is worse — pinch-zooming a PDF menu on a phone is the single most complained-about QR experience there is.
  • It has to still exist later. Printed material outlives campaigns. A seasonal landing page that gets cleaned up in six months turns every code into a dead end.
  • No login walls, no interstitials. Anything that stands between the scan and the promised content will lose a meaningful share of the people who scanned.

Sizing and layout by medium

Code size is a function of how far away people will be standing, not of how much space the layout has spare. The working rule is printed width ≈ scanning distance ÷ 10, plus about 25% headroom.

Three mock printed pieces with real QR codes drawn to scale: a business card with a 25 millimetre code, a table tent with a 40 millimetre code, and a property yard sign with a 300 millimetre code, each with a full quiet zone and a line of copy.
Proportion within the piece is what people actually get wrong. All three codes here are real and correctly sized for their reading distance.
MediumRead fromCode size
Business card, product label20 cm2–2.5 cm
Table tent, menu, receipt30 cm3–4 cm
Flyer, printed programme40 cm4–5 cm
Shelf edge, counter sign60 cm6–8 cm
Wall poster, church bulletin board1.5 m15–20 cm
Shop window, yard sign2–3 m20–30 cm
Trade show banner3 m30–40 cm

Two layout rules that hold everywhere: keep the quiet zone — four blank modules on every side, which is part of the code and comes out of your layout budget — and keep the code clear of folds, trims and staples. Full detail in the sizing guide.

The copy next to the code

A bare QR code asks someone to take an action with no stated reward, and scan rates reflect that. The fix costs one line.

Be specific about the payoff. "Scan me" says nothing. "Scan for the menu," "Scan to check in," "Scan for photos and floor plan," "Scan to leave a review" all tell someone exactly what they're trading a few seconds for. Where there's a reason to hurry or a benefit attached — "Scan for 10% off today" — say that instead.

The one way this good idea breaks codes

Call-to-action text placed too close to the code eats the quiet zone, which is the most common cause of a scan failure that looks like nothing is wrong. Keep at least four modules of blank space between the code and any text or rule. When space is tight, shrink the code — never the margin.

Knowing whether it worked

A static code tells you nothing. You'll never know whether a poster produced 4 scans or 400, which makes it impossible to justify doing more of what worked.

A dynamic code routes each scan through a redirect, so you get counts, timing, device and rough location. That turns a printed campaign into something measurable — and, more usefully, lets you use a different code per placement so you can compare them.

A single QR code printed once on banners, programmes, mailers and table signs, redirected in turn to a spring appeal, a summer gala and a year-end matching campaign.
The same property makes printed material reusable — repoint the code instead of reprinting the piece.

The reuse case is worth planning for from the start. Table signage, banners and printed programmes tend to outlive the campaign they were made for, and a dynamic code lets the same physical material serve the next one.

What scan analytics can and can't tell you →

Frequently asked questions

What should a QR code link to?

The specific page that delivers what the code promised, with nothing in between. If the sign says "scan for the menu," it should open the menu itself — not a homepage with a menu link in the navigation. Every intermediate tap loses people who are standing up with a phone in one hand. The destination also has to be mobile-first, since every single scan arrives on a phone.

Should I use a static or dynamic QR code for printed material?

Dynamic, for anything printed in more than trivial quantity. It's the only mechanism that lets you fix a wrong or dead destination without reprinting, and it's the only way to know how many people scanned. Static is the right choice for self-contained data that will never change — a Wi-Fi password by a guest room door, a vCard on your own card, an asset tag on equipment.

How big should a QR code be?

Roughly one tenth of the distance it'll be scanned from, plus about 25% headroom. A table tent read at 30 cm wants 3–4 cm; a yard sign read from a car wants 25–30 cm. Underneath that rule, never let individual modules fall below 0.4 mm in print — that's the real constraint, and it's why a code carrying a long URL needs to be physically larger than one carrying a short link.

Why is nobody scanning my QR code?

Assuming it scans at all, it's usually one of three things. There's no copy saying what scanning gets you, so nobody has a reason. It's placed somewhere people aren't standing still — a code on a moving vehicle or above eye level in a corridor gets seen and not used. Or the payoff isn't worth the effort: "visit our website" is not a reason to take a phone out. If you're unsure whether it's a scanning problem or an interest problem, a dynamic code answers that in a day.

Can I use the same QR code for multiple campaigns?

With a dynamic code, yes — that's one of its main advantages. The same printed banner or programme can be repointed to whichever campaign is currently live, and each period's scans are counted separately. With a static code you cannot: its destination is fixed at creation, so each new campaign means new printed material.

Guides by industry

New to QR codes? Start with QR Code Basics. Ready to build one? Generate a QR code with Qordway →