Print the address below your QR code: why and how

To a person, a QR code is a black box. Nobody can tell where it leads. If a short address such as qr.yourcompany.com/menu is printed underneath, the guest knows what to expect before scanning. It costs one line on the print piece and solves several problems at once.

Why the address belongs below the code

• Trust: People who read your company name in the address are more willing to scan. It also protects against stickers placed over your code, because anyone can compare the printed address with what opens.
• Typing it in: Not every scan works. Glare, dim light, an old phone or a scratched laminate are enough. With a printed address, the guest simply types it into the browser.
• Accessibility: People who see poorly or cannot aim a camera can still get there with an address they have read out to them or dictate. A person at the table can also tell it to someone else.
• Passing it on: An address can be said aloud, sent in a message and remembered. A picture cannot.

How to set it

• Without https:// and without www. The phone adds that itself, and the line gets shorter and calmer.
• All lowercase. It is easier to read and type, and nobody has to guess whether a letter is a capital.
• Type size at least as large as the body text on the print piece, better a little larger. The address should be readable without effort, also for guests without their glasses.
• Good contrast against the background and a plain, clear typeface. Thin fonts on photos are hard to read.
• Directly below or beside the code, with some distance so the code’s quiet zone stays free.
• One line, no break in the middle of the path. If it does not fit, shorten the path.

A short path makes the difference

Long and random, such as …/a8Kx92LmQp, is hard to type and even harder to remember. Better is a path you understand while reading and copy without mistakes: qr.yourcompany.com/menu, /offer or /wifi. In Same-QR you choose the path yourself when you create a new code, otherwise it is assigned randomly with 10 characters. Each path exists only once per domain and stays taken even after you delete the code, so think it through before printing. Existing codes keep their address, so nothing needs reprinting.

Examples from practice

• Table stand: address under the code in a clearly readable size, with the word “Menu” above. A guest with an empty battery can remember the address and open it later.
• Flyer: Flyers get folded or lie at an angle in poor light. Put the address in the text as well, next to the call to action, and use a separate path per campaign, for example /autumn-offer.
• Packaging: Little space, so a short path like /care or /instructions. Print the address near the edge, on a smooth surface and not across a fold.
• Poster or shop window: The viewer stands further away, so the address can be large. It is often typed in there, because people do not step closer to the code.

Check before printing

• Type the address into your phone’s browser exactly as it will be printed and check that the right destination appears.
• Scan the code with at least one iPhone and one Android phone.
• Read a test print at original size from the distance at which the guest will later see it.
• Have a second person read the address aloud and type it in. Ambiguous spots show up immediately.

Frequently asked questions