QR Album
Dashboard

Design a QR sign

Responsible
Martin Freiwald, Founder
Written
Last checked
Reading time
4 min
Short answer

The sign designer places your event name, a line of your own text and the code on a finished layout. Pick 1 of 4 templates and 1 of 4 sizes, then export.

Export as a 300-dpi PNG for a home printer, or as a PDF with 3 mm bleed and crop marks for a print shop.

The 4 templates

Classic, Script, Modern Minimal and Festive. They differ in the typeface pairing and how much decoration surrounds the code, not in how readable the code is — that part is fixed in every one of them. Script suits weddings; Festive is built for birthdays and parties.

The fonts and colours can be overridden if a template is close but not quite right.

  1. Pick a template. Classic, Script, Modern Minimal or Festive. They differ in typography, not in how well the code scans.
  2. Pick a size. A6 for table cards, A4 for the entrance. The code is scaled to suit each.
  3. Export and scan it. Scan the exported file before you print 40 of them.

The 4 sizes

A6 card, a 5 by 7 inch card, A5 and an A4 poster. The code is scaled for each, with the clear margin it needs, so nothing has to be judged by eye. A6 belongs on tables and A4 by the door.

If you print only 1 format, A5 works on a table and still reads from 2 metres.

The 4 sizes
SizeDimensionsMeant for
A6 card105 × 148.5 mmTable cards, 1 per seat
5×7 in card127 × 178 mmThe US stationery size
A5148 × 210 mmA few per room
A4 poster210 × 297 mmEntrance or gift table

Every template uses the same proportions, so a size change is a pure scale and never re-crops the design.

The line you write

Alongside the event name the sign carries a line of your own. Write what the guest gets rather than what the technology is: their pictures from tonight, in 1 place. That sentence is what decides whether a code gets scanned.

Keep it short. The designer warns you when the text overflows the layout, but a card nobody reads is worse than a card that fits.

PNG or PDF

PNG at 300 dpi is right for a home printer or an online service that wants an image. PDF is right for a print shop: it carries 3 mm bleed on every side plus crop marks, which is what European trade printers ask for.

If you are unsure which your printer wants, send the PDF. It is the more complete of the 2.

What stays fixed

The code itself and the clear space around it. You can restyle everything surrounding it, but the pattern and its margin are not adjustable, because both are what a camera needs to read it at all.

That is also why a sign from the designer scans more reliably than one assembled by hand.

Before the print run

Print 1, stand it where it will stand, and scan it from a normal sitting distance with a phone that is not yours. That catches a size too small for the room, a colour that vanishes against the paper, and a gloss finish that reflects the lights.

Then print the rest. The 3 minutes are cheaper than a room of unreadable stands.

Common questions

How many templates are there?

4: Classic, Script, Modern Minimal and Festive.

Which size should I print?

A6 for tables, A4 by the door. A5 if you only want 1 format.

Does the PDF include bleed?

Yes, 3 mm on every side plus crop marks.

Can I move the code around the layout?

No. The code and its clear margin are fixed, because that is what makes it scan.

What should I write on it?

What the guest gets, in 1 line, and that no app is needed.

Still open? Contact

Pass it on
Related articles
Contact

The text will not fit

Shorten the line, or move up a size. Send us the event name if the designer still complains.