Print and test a QR code
Generating the code is five minutes. Getting from a file to something that works reliably at a table is the part that decides whether guests ever see your menu.
1. Verify the destination before generating
Open the destination in a private browser window, confirm it is the page you want, and copy its address. A code is only as good as what it opens.
2. Download the SVG
Vector for print, always. A PNG enlarged for a poster has soft edges, and edges are what a scanner reads.
3. Scan the file on screen
Before anything is sent to a printer:
- Open the downloaded file on a computer screen.
- Scan it with a phone that is signed out of the site.
- Confirm the address that opens is exactly the one you copied — right site, right menu, right language.
4. Design the printed piece
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Clear margin around the code | Artwork against the edges breaks the scan |
| Strong contrast, dark on light | Inverted and low-contrast codes are unreliable |
| Square, never stretched | Distortion breaks the pattern |
| Generous size | Table distance is further than desk distance |
| Matt finish where possible | Gloss reflects, especially under spotlights |
| A short instruction — Scan for the menu | Not every guest assumes what the code is for |
Add the language, if you printed one code per language. A guest cannot tell from the code itself.
5. Print one proof
One code, at final size, on the final material, from the final printer.
6. Test it where guests sit
This is the step that gets skipped and the one that matters:
- [ ] Scan from a seated position, at natural phone distance.
- [ ] Do it in the room's own lighting, including the dimmest table.
- [ ] Try more than one phone, ideally an older one.
- [ ] Test on mobile data as well as the restaurant's Wi‑Fi.
- [ ] Check that the page loads fast enough that a guest would wait.
- [ ] Scan a laminated sample if the final piece will be laminated.
7. Then order the run
And keep the file. Store the SVG with the destination, language and date in its name, in a folder the team can find. Every reprint starts there.
Placement
- Table tents — visible without being moved, and not where a plate lands.
- Table stickers — durable, but check they survive cleaning products.
- Menus and place mats — natural, but reprinted with the menu.
- Window and entrance — reachable from outside; test at the distance guests actually stand.
- The bill — the right place for a review or feedback code, not for the menu.
Maintenance
- Re-scan a sample of table codes monthly. Codes get scratched, covered and faded.
- Re-scan everything after any change to the site's addresses.
- Keep a spare printed set for replacements.
- Keep the list of what is printed, where, and pointing at what.
The rule that prevents reprints
Point printed codes at stable destinations — the home page or a menu archive — rather than at a seasonal category. Content changes never require a reprint; address changes always do.