Dynamic QR codes on printed materials: change the destination without reprinting

A flyer is printed once and sits in the waiting room for two years. The offer on it changes four times. With an ordinary QR code, every change means a new print run. With a dynamic one, you change an address in the dashboard and the material stays good.

Static or dynamic

A static QR code contains the address in the pattern itself: if the address changes, the code has to be remade. A dynamic one contains only a short link, and the link forwards to the destination you choose. The code stays identical; the destination can change at any time.

• the restaurant menu is updated monthly, but the code on the table stays the same;
• the label on a product points to the product’s current page, even if the website has been rebuilt;
• a campaign poster can be redirected to the thank-you page once the offer ends.

One code for each material

If you put the same code on the poster, the flyer and the business cards, you will only know how many scans you got in total. If you make one code for each material, you can see right away which of them brings people in: a dynamic code has its own short link, so its statistics (clicks by day, countries, devices and traffic sources) are separate from those of the others.

Before printing: three checks

1. Contrast. A dark code on a light background. Inverted versions, or ones on a gradient background, scan poorly on some phones.
2. Size. At least 2 × 2 cm on hand-held materials and proportionally larger on posters, so it can be scanned from a distance.
3. Paper test. Scan the printed proof with two or three different phones, not just the computer screen.

What to do after printing

Check the code’s destination once a month and after every change to the website. A code that leads to a deleted page looks worse than no code at all. If the offer ends, change the destination instead of leaving people on an expired page.