Printing QR codes that actually scan

For: EveryoneDifficulty: Easy⏱ 2 min

Step by step

1. Download the code as SVG for anything printed. It stays sharp at any size.
2. Print it at least 2 cm across for something held in the hand, and much larger for a poster read from across a room. The Design Studio tells you the smallest safe size for your design.
3. Leave clear space around the code — roughly the width of four of its own squares. Text crowding the edge breaks it.
4. Keep strong contrast, and avoid printing over a photograph or a gradient.
5. Test the final printed piece, not the file on screen.

Tips

• Rule of thumb for distance: the code needs to be about a tenth as wide as the distance it is scanned from.
• Tell people what they get — “Scan for the menu” outperforms a bare code every time. A frame with a call to action in the Design Studio does this for you.
• Busy patterns (fine dots) and a large logo both make a code harder to read from a distance. Save the fancy designs for things people hold.