QR codes on brochures and flyers
Print gets attention; the web gets the details and the sale. A QR code on a brochure connects the two and tells you which leaflet actually brought people in.
Where QR codes help
Full price list or catalogue
Keep the brochure short and link to the full price list as a hosted PDF that you can update.
Make a PDF QR code →Book or buy now
Send readers straight to the booking page or the product, not your home page.
Make a Link QR code →Special offer
A coupon code rewards people who scan and lets you count redemptions.
Make a Coupon QR code →Example: a garden centre's spring leaflet
The leaflet goes out in two areas. Each version has its own dynamic code captioned 'See this week's plant offers'. Both open the same offers page with different UTM tags.
After three weeks the dashboard shows one area scanned four times as often, so the next print run goes only there and the saving pays for a larger code on the back page.
Get it right first time
- Place the code where the reader decides: next to the offer or on the back page, not on the fold.
- Print it at least 2.5 cm wide on A5 and A4 leaflets.
- Use a different dynamic code per print run or area to compare them.
- Link to a page made for phones that matches the leaflet's offer.
Add a QR code to a brochure or flyer
- Pick the one action you want. Book, buy, call or read more. Link to the page that does exactly that.
- Make a dynamic code per version. One per area, mailing or print run, named so you can tell them apart. Add UTM tags if you report in Google Analytics.
- Write a caption with a reason. 'Scan for this week's offers' or 'See the full price list'. A code with a promise gets more scans.
- Place and size it. At least 2.5 cm wide, away from the fold and the trim, with a blank margin of four modules.
- Export for the printer. SVG or PDF for the artwork; PNG at 1024 px is fine for a digital proof.
- Proof, then compare. Scan the printed proof, then check scans per version in the dashboard a week after delivery.
Questions people ask
Brochures & flyers
Where should the QR code go on a tri-fold brochure?
On the back panel or the inside panel with the offer. Keep it off the folds, where the creases break the pattern.
Can I change the link after the brochures are printed?
Yes, if the code is dynamic. Change its destination in the dashboard and every printed copy follows.
What size QR code for an A5 flyer?
2.5 to 3 cm wide is comfortable for a reader holding it. Larger if the flyer will be on a wall or noticeboard.
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