QR codes for product packaging and labels

Packaging is the hardest place to put a QR code: it is printed in volume, it lives for years, and it cannot be recalled. The code has to scan on the material, and the page behind it has to stay right long after the artwork is signed off.

Get the artwork right once

Four things decide whether a printed code scans, and all four are settled in artwork. Our print guide has the detail and the examples; the short version for a label:

• Quiet zone: at least four modules of clear space on every side. It is the first thing a tight dieline eats.
• Contrast: 3:1 is the floor; give thermal labels 5:1 or better, because ink density varies between rolls and as a printhead ages.
• Logo: up to about 12 percent of the code's area, with error correction at level H. The editor enforces both.
• Size and material: print one at the real size, on the real stock, and scan it with three phones, including an old one. Gloss and curved containers fail in ways a proof on paper will not show.

A dynamic code also helps here quietly: it encodes a short link rather than a long URL, so the grid is less dense and each module is larger at the same printed size.

Change the destination after the run

The reason to put a dynamic code on packaging is that the page behind it will change and the box will not. Point it at the product page today; at a revised instruction leaflet, a safety notice or next season's range later. You edit the destination in the editor and the change applies on the next scan of every copy already on a shelf. Redirects are never cached, so nobody is sent to yesterday's page.

If you run many products, Business lets you bulk create up to 500 codes at once and organise them into folders, and the API can drive both from your own systems.

See where the packaging is scanned

Every scan records country, region and city, device type, operating system, browser, referring site and language, without storing the IP address of the person scanning. Scans are broken down per code, so a code per product or per retailer tells you which one people actually use. The raw log exports as CSV.

Bilingual packaging in Canada

Most consumer packaging sold in Canada has to carry its mandatory information in English and French. A QR code does not change what has to be printed on the package, and it is not a substitute for required text. Check the rules that apply to your product category with the regulator or your labelling adviser.

What a code can do is save space. Rather than printing two codes, print one and point it at a page that offers both languages. If the bilingual page moves or is replaced, change the destination; the label stays as it is.

Questions

Can I change where a QR code on packaging goes after it is printed?

Yes. The printed code encodes a short link, and you change the destination behind it in the editor. The change takes effect on the next scan of every copy already printed.

How big should a QR code be on a label?

There is no single minimum. It depends on how much data the code carries and how far away it is scanned. Print one at the intended size on the intended material and scan it with three different phones before the run.

Do I need two QR codes for English and French packaging?

Not usually. One code can lead to a page that offers both languages, which saves label space. Check the labelling rules that apply to your product for what must appear on the package itself.