QR codes on flyers

What the code should open

Send people to a page made for this flyer's offer. A flyer for a spring sale opens the sale page, not your home page. A flyer for a concert opens the ticket page. Anyone who scans has already decided they're interested, so don't make them hunt for the thing they just read about.

A website QR code covers almost every flyer. Two other types fit specific jobs:

• An SMS QR code with the message already filled in, for sign-ups like Text JOIN for updates
• A phone QR code for services where a call books the job, like plumbers, movers or tutors

Pick one destination per flyer. Two offers usually means two flyers. And because the code can't be changed after printing, link to a page on your own site that will stay live as long as the flyers are out.

Size and placement

Print the code 3 to 4 cm (about 1.2 to 1.6 in) square on a letter, A4 or A5 flyer. That reads easily at arm's length, which is how people hold a flyer or stand at a noticeboard.

• Put it right next to the call to action, where the eye lands after taking in the offer. The bottom corner is where codes get ignored.
• Leave a clear margin around it, roughly the width of four of the code's small squares. Text or photos touching the code can stop it scanning.
• Keep it off busy photos. A white or light panel behind the code is the safe choice.

If the flyer will be pinned to a wall and read from a meter away, go bigger, around 10 cm. The size and printing guide has the distance rule behind that number.

Say what they'll get

A bare code asks people to trust it. A few words beside it tell them why it's worth pulling out a phone. Short labels work best: Scan for tickets, Scan to see the menu, Scan to claim your discount, Scan to RSVP.

You can build the label into the code itself. Our generator has label-below and label-above frames with your own text and color, covered in the frames guide.

Folds, paper and print

Flyers get folded into thirds for mailing, rolled into door handles and creased in pockets. A fold line through the code bends the pattern and can break the scan. Before you lay out the design, mark where the folds land and keep the code fully inside one panel.

Glossy stock looks sharp and throws glare under shop lights. Matte or uncoated paper scans more reliably. Print the pattern dark on a light background. A light code on a dark background looks striking, and some phone cameras can't read it.

Before you print 500

Print one copy at actual size on an office printer. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone from where people will really stand. Then open the link on mobile data, not your office WiFi, and check the page loads quickly and makes sense on a small screen. When it passes both tests, send the file to print.