How to use QR codes on your menu, packaging and shop window

A QR code turns anything you print into a shortcut to your website, menu, Wi-Fi or review page. They're free to make and every modern phone camera can read them. Used well, they save your customers typing and save you questions.

Here's where they work best, and how to make sure people can actually scan them.

The most important tip: point it at a page you control

A standard QR code holds its link permanently. Once it's printed, you can't change where it goes. So instead of linking straight to a PDF menu or a specific offer, link to a page on your own website, like yoursite.com/menu or yoursite.com/offers. When the menu or offer changes, update the page, and every code you've ever printed still works.

This gives you most of what paid "dynamic QR code" services sell, without a subscription that breaks your codes if you stop paying.

On your menu and tables

• Link to your menu page so customers can browse or order from their phone. Keep a few printed menus too, for people who prefer paper or whose phone battery is flat.
• Add a Wi-Fi code on table cards so guests can connect without asking for the password. Our Wi-Fi QR code generator makes one in seconds.
• Add a review code near the bill. A quick "Enjoyed your meal? Leave us a review" works well with a Google review QR code.

On packaging and products

• Link to instructions, recipes or care guides, so they don't have to be printed in full.
• Link to a reorder page for products people buy again.
• Link to a review or feedback page after purchase.
• On small packaging, keep the code at least 2 cm wide, and leave the blank border around it.

In your shop window

Your window works for you even when you're closed:

• Link to opening hours and bookings, so passers-by can book after hours.
• Link to your website or current offers.
• Make it big. People scan windows from further away, and a common rule of thumb is that a code can be scanned from about ten times its width. A 10 cm code works from roughly a metre away.
• Put it at eye level, and avoid spots with glare from the glass.

On receipts, invoices and business cards

• Receipts: a review code or a link to your loyalty scheme.
• Invoices: a link to pay online, or to your review page.
• Business cards and flyers: a link to your website, booking page or portfolio.

Always tell people what they'll get

A code on its own is easy to ignore. Add a short line that says what happens when they scan:

• "Scan for our menu"
• "Scan to join our Wi-Fi"
• "Scan to book a table"
• "Scan to leave us a review"

Make sure it scans every time

• Dark on light. Black or a dark colour on a white or light background. Light codes on dark backgrounds often fail.
• Keep the border. The blank margin around the code is part of it. Don't crop it or print right up to the edge.
• Size for the distance. At least 2 cm for things held in the hand, much bigger for walls and windows.
• Flat surfaces. Tight curves, folds and shiny wrapping distort the code.
• Logos in moderation. A small logo in the middle is fine with high error correction, which our QR code generator sets for you automatically when you add one.
• Test before printing. Scan the final design with a couple of different phones, printed at the real size.

See how many people scan

Add tracking tags to the link before you make the code, for example yoursite.com/menu?utm_source=table-card&utm_medium=qr. Analytics tools such as Google Analytics then show how many visits came from each printed code, so you can see which placements work.

Keep an eye on public codes

In public places, check your codes now and then. Scammers sometimes stick their own code over a genuine one. Printing codes as part of the design, rather than as separate stickers, makes this harder.

Make yours

Our QR code generator makes codes for links, text, Wi-Fi, email and phone numbers, with your colours and logo, as PNG or SVG. It's free, with no sign-up, and the codes never expire.