Decide what the code is for
One code, one job. Instructions, a how-to video, product registration, a review page or reordering all work, but a code that leads to a home page and leaves the customer to find things gets abandoned. Make a page for the code's purpose and link straight to it with a website QR code.
The code is static, so the page can be updated for as long as the product is sold. Keep the address on your own domain and never change it. Packaging is printed in runs that last months or years, and a link shortener that lapses turns every box into a dead end.
Size
Packaging is scanned from 20 to 40 cm, so 2.5 cm is the practical minimum for a short link and 3 cm is safer. Go larger if the surface is curved or textured, or if you added a logo. Small labels on jars and bottles are the hardest case: keep the link short so the code stays simple, and use the plainest design.
Curved, glossy and dark surfaces
- Curved surfaces distort the pattern. Put the code where the surface is flattest, keep it small relative to the curve, and test on a real bottle or can, not on a flat proof.
- Gloss and foil reflect the light. Print the code in a matte varnish-free area, or add a white matte panel behind it.
- Dark or coloured packaging kills contrast. Print the code on a white panel rather than reversing it to light dots on a dark background, which many phones will not read.
- Clear plastic and cellophane add glare and show what is behind them. Put the code on a printed label, not on the film.
Keep the design plain
Dark dots, white background, square corners, error-correction level M, or H with a small logo. Save the styled version for the website. The colours guide covers what you can safely change.
Tell people what they get
A short line next to the code, such as "Scan for instructions" or "Scan to register", raises the number of people who bother. Frames in the generator do this, or your designer can set the text in the packaging artwork, outside the code's margin.
Test a proof from the printer
Scan the printer's proof on the real material with several phones, in shop lighting and at home lighting. Then scan a unit from the first production run before the rest ships. A packaging reprint costs far more than a proof.