QR code for a flyer

Flyers and posters are some of the cleanest places to use a QR code, because they live exactly in the moment a passerby stops, reads, and decides whether to act. The QR turns "maybe later" into a one-tap commitment. But QR codes on flyers also fail in distinctive ways — wrong size, wrong placement, no context, glossy surface, weak destination page. This page is the field guide.

Pick the right destination

The QR is only useful if the page it lands on is.

• Event flyer → ticketing or registration page, with the same date and venue front and center so the user knows they landed in the right place.
• Sale flyer → the discounted product or category page, ideally with the discount code pre-applied.
• Service flyer→ a contact page or a short signup form. Don't dump people on your homepage and make them re-find what the flyer was about.
• Job flyer → the specific job listing, not your careers homepage.

Always add a UTM parameter (?utm_source=flyer) so your existing analytics count flyer-driven scans separately from organic traffic.

Sizing for letter, A4, and beyond

• Letter / A4 flyer (scan distance ~50 cm): QR width 5–6 cm.
• 11×17 / A3 poster (scan distance ~1 m): QR width 10 cm.
• Window / wall poster (scan distance 1.5–2 m): QR width 15–20 cm.
• Bus stop / outdoor (scan distance 3+ m): QR width 30 cm or larger.

More detail in our QR code print sizes guide.

Placement that actually gets scanned

• Bottom-right or bottom-left corner.That's where eyes naturally end up after reading the flyer top-to-bottom. It's also the easiest spot to hold a phone up to.
• Don't bury it in a busy section.The QR needs its own visual quiet zone. Surrounding graphics or background images intruding on the QR perimeter cause scan failures.
• Pair it with a short caption."Scan for tickets" / "Scan to apply" / "Scan to book." Three or four words. Body-text size, not tiny.
• Print the URL too.Always include a short, human-readable URL alongside the QR. Some people prefer typing; some don't have working cameras.

Color and contrast

QR codes need at least 4.5:1 contrast between the dark modules and the background. On a printed flyer, that almost always means dark code on white or very light background. Specifically:

• Black on white — gold standard.
• Deep brand color on white — usually fine.
• White on black — works on modern phones, fails on older ones.
• Pastel on white — risky, often fails.
• Two similar colors — guaranteed to fail.

If your flyer's overall design is dark, put the QR in a white box with adequate margin instead of inverting the QR's colors.

Branding the QR

On a flyer at 5+ cm, you have room for a center logo without sacrificing scan reliability. QR This! automatically uses the highest error-correction level when a logo is present and caps the logo at about 35% of the code's width.

See how to make a QR code with a logo for tips on choosing a logo image and making sure the result still scans.

The pre-print checklist

• QR width matches scanning distance (1/10 rule).
• QR is in a corner with at least 1 cm of clear margin.
• 4.5:1+ contrast against the background.
• Caption tells the user what to expect.
• Plain-text URL printed alongside.
• UTM parameter set on the encoded URL.
• Test print scanned by both an iPhone and an Android, in the lighting where the flyer will live.
• Destination page tested on a phone, no broken images, no giant videos, fast load.