A bit of honest QR education

the two-minute version

What makes a good QR code

Four things that decide whether a code scans first time — and why the boring details matter.

short links, explained

Static vs dynamic QR codes

Why a short link turns a permanent, one-shot code into something you can re-aim and measure.

apps & deep links

QR codes that open apps

How a QR code can open an app, land on a specific screen, or fall back to the App Store — and why all that lives at the destination, not in the code.

for hospitality

QR codes for restaurants: menus, WiFi, reviews and more

A practical guide to QR codes in cafés and restaurants — menus, WiFi, reviews and loyalty — and why a short, changeable link saves you reprinting.

troubleshooting

Why won't my QR code scan?

A friendly fix-it checklist for QR codes that won't scan — contrast, the quiet zone, size, print quality and the other usual culprits.

troubleshooting

Why won't my phone scan a QR code?

Your phone won't scan a QR code? A quick, friendly fix-it list — camera settings, the tap-to-open banner, focus and lighting, and the screenshot trick — for iPhone and Android.

wifi codes

QR code for WiFi: share your network without typing the password

Make a QR code that joins your WiFi automatically. The exact WIFI: payload format, how to escape special characters, and the one security catch.

contact codes

How to make a contact (vCard) QR code

Build a business-card QR that saves your details with one scan — the vCard format, a copy-paste example, and how to keep it scannable.

printing

QR code size for printing

How big to print a QR code, with the simple scan-distance rule, plus DPI, file format, contrast and finish tips so it scans first time.

expiry, explained

Do QR codes expire?

No — the QR standard has no expiry date. What actually expires is a paid dynamic code's redirect server. Here's what really stops a code working, and what never can.

linking to files

How to make a QR code link to a PDF

A QR code can't hold a PDF — it holds a link. Here's how to host the file, point a code at it, and dodge the traps that make PDF codes flaky.

colour & contrast

Best QR code colours and contrast (and which ones break scanning)

You can colour a QR code — but scanners read brightness, not hue. The safe dark-on-light rule, the traps that break scanning, and the palette that always works.

for reviews

How to make a QR code for a Google review link

Send customers straight to your Google review box with a QR code — how to get the real link, keep it within Google's rules, and make it scan.

tracking, decided

Static vs dynamic QR: do I actually need tracking?

Being upsold a dynamic QR code with 'analytics'? What scan tracking really shows, when it's worth it, and how to count scans for free without it.

safety & scams

Are QR codes safe? How to spot a fake

Yes — the risk isn't the code, it's where it sends you. A plain-English guide to 'quishing' QR scams: how the fake-sticker trick works, and how to spot one.