Using QR codes together with short links
Turning a short link into a QR code bridges offline and online. Here are the mistakes people make when printing QR codes, and how to count the scans.
A QR code is the simplest bridge between the offline and online worlds — point a camera at it and an address opens. You can put one on a poster, a business card, product packaging, or a receipt. But what you put inside the code changes the result a lot.
The problem with encoding a long URL directly
The more characters a QR code holds, the denser its pattern becomes. Encoding a long URL with campaign parameters produces a busy code that scans poorly when printed small. Scanning from a distance, low print quality, or a curved surface all push the failure rate higher.
Create a short link first and encode that link instead, and the problem goes away. Fewer characters mean a simpler pattern that reads reliably at the same printed size.
Getting a QR code in linkpado
When you shorten a link in linkpado, it generates a QR code right there. No sign-in required.
- Paste an address on the home page and shorten it.
- Find the QR code next to the short link and save the image.
- Drop the saved image into your print material or slides.
Because the QR code contains a short link, you can change where that link points later without reprinting anything. Changing the destination does require link management, so it's best to be signed in for that.
What to get right when printing
- Big enough: as a rule of thumb, 2cm per side reads comfortably on most phones. For posters scanned from a distance, go larger.
- Keep the margin: never crop the white border (quiet zone) around the code. Without it, scanners can't find the code's edges.
- Enough contrast: a dark code on a light background is safest. If you place it over an image, check that the contrast holds.
- Test the scan: scanning it once on a real device before printing prevents most failures.
How do I know how many scans there were?
The QR code itself doesn't report how many times it was scanned. But if what it contains is a linkpado short link, that link's click (scan) data is counted just the same — a visit that arrived by scanning is handled like any other click.
On the Pro plan you can see this data as visit counts, referrers, and device and region breakdowns. If you make a different short link for each offline poster, you can even tell which location's QR was scanned more. Reading the analytics is covered in more detail in How to read link click analytics.