Print templates with many QR codes: From dataset to print file

Where printing goes wrong

In QR code print templates with many codes, errors occur between steps: A code ends up on the wrong label, a file is too small, a code still points to the test address. Automation helps here primarily by ensuring each step comes from the same dataset.

Step 1: Create codes from the dataset

With the command line sameqr, you create a code for each row and note the identifier. The code name should match the dataset, such as the article number:

while IFS=";" read -r nr url; do
  id=$(sameqr qr create --name "Artikel $nr" --url "$url" --json | jq -r .id) || break
  echo "$nr;$id" >> zuordnung.csv
done < artikel.csv

Step 2: Load print files via API

With the same API key, you retrieve print-ready files: SVG, PNG, or PDF, black or white, in RGB or CMYK. For the printer, PDF in CMYK is usually correct:

while IFS=";" read -r nr id; do
  curl -fsS -H "Authorization: Bearer $SAMEQR_API_KEY" \
    "https://sameqr.com/api/qr/download/$id?format=pdf&colorspace=cmyk" -o "qr-$nr.pdf" || break
done < zuordnung.csv

For many codes at once, there is a bulk download as ZIP, starting from the Start plan, in the dashboard or via API. You can download individual codes in any plan.

Step 3: Naming that matches the dataset

When the filename, code name, and dataset all carry the same number, the typesetting software can automatically place the files, for example via a data merge. And if something is wrong later, you can find the code immediately.

Step 4: Proof print and scan test

• Print some labels on the real material.
• Scan with various mobile phones, even in poor lighting.
• Maintain the minimum size that suits the reading distance.
• Check whether each code leads to the correct destination, not just whether it scans.

Because the codes are dynamic, an incorrect destination can still be corrected after printing. A code incorrectly assigned to the wrong label, however, cannot. Therefore, matching with the dataset is the most important test.

Conclusion: why Same-QR

Same-QR provides everything that print templates need: codes via CLI or API, print files as vectors in RGB or CMYK, batch download as ZIP, and destinations that remain changeable after printing. This allows the dataset to go to the printer without manual effort.

Get started right away: sign up for free at sameqr.com, two dynamic QR codes are free forever. API, CLI and MCP server are included in every plan, and the documentation is at sameqr.com/entwickler.

Frequently asked questions