Which file to send
- SVG, PDF or EPS for anything printed. They're vector, so the printer can scale them without blurring.
- PNG, WEBP or JPG for screens, emails and documents. Choose 1024 or 2048 px for anything larger than a phone screen.
Press files
Open a code and choose Press files for print-ready layouts: an A4 poster, an A5 table tent, a counter card, a shelf talker, a window decal and a keychain. Each comes in two forms:
- PDF for the press: the finished size, 3mm of bleed past the cut, crop marks and a trim box. It's black on white, without colours, frame or logo, because that's what reads most reliably.
- SVG for your designer: the whole design, at the same size, to place into their layout.
How big to print
A code has to be bigger the further away people stand. A rough guide is a tenth of the scan distance: a code read from 40 cm should be about 40 mm across.
That's a starting point, not a guarantee. A longer payload, higher error correction or glossy stock all need more room. The print size calculator works it out from the code itself.
Each press file shows its module pitch, the width of one small square. Below about 0.4 mm, phone cameras start to struggle.
Dynamic codes print smaller than most: their short link is 22 characters, which keeps the code at its second-smallest size however long the destination is.
Before a print run
- Check the code shows no warnings in the design studio.
- Print one copy at the real size, on the real material.
- Turn on test mode on the code's page, so your test scans don't count.
- Scan it from where people will stand, in the light they'll have, with more than one phone.
- For a dynamic code, record where it's printed, so a zero-scan alert tells you which sign to check.
Keep the quiet zone
Leave the white margin around the code empty when it goes into a layout. Text, a border or an image running into it is the most common reason a printed code won't scan.