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Design a QR sign

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Martin Freiwald, Founder
Written
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4 min
Short answer

The sign designer sets your event name, your own line of text and the code on a completed layout. Select 1 of 4 templates and 1 of 4 sizes, then export.

Take a 300-dpi PNG for a home printer, or as a PDF with 3 mm bleed and crop marks for a print shop.

The 4 templates

Classic, Script, Modern Minimal and Festive. They differ in the typeface pairing and how much decoration surrounds the code, not in readability — that part holds for each one of them. Script fits weddings; Festive is built for birthdays and parties.

The fonts and colors can be swapped if a template is close but not quite right.

  1. Pick a template. Classic, Script, Modern Minimal or Festive. They vary in typography, not in how well the code scans.
  2. Pick a size. A6 for table cards, A4 for the entryway. The code is scaled to suit each.
  3. Export and scan it. Scan the exported file before you print 40 of them.

The 4 sizes

A6 card, a 5×7-inch card, A5 and an A4 poster. The code scales per format, with the clear margin it needs, so nothing must be judged by eye. A6 belongs on tables and A4 at the door.

If you print just 1 format, A5 suits a table and still reads from 2 meters.

The 4 sizes
SizeDimensionsMeant for
A6 card105 × 148.5 mmTable cards, 1 per seat
5×7 in card127 × 178 mmThe US stationery size
A5148 × 210 mmA few per room
A4 poster210 × 297 mmEntrance or gift table

Each template uses the same proportions, so a size change scales cleanly and never re-crops the design.

The line you write

Alongside the event name the sign includes a line of your own. Write what the guest gets instead of what the technology is: their photos from tonight, in 1 place. That sentence is what determines whether a code gets scanned.

Keep it short. The designer flags when the text overflows the layout, but a card no one reads is worse than a card that fits.

PNG or PDF

PNG at 300 dpi suits a home printer or an online service that wants a photo. PDF suits a print shop: it carries 3 mm bleed on each side plus crop marks, which is what European trade printers request for.

If you're unsure which your printer wants, send the PDF. It's the more complete of the two.

What stays fixed

The code itself and the white space around it. You can retheme everything surrounding it, but the pattern and its margin aren't adjustable, since both are what a camera needs to read it at all.

That's also why a sign from the designer scans better than a hand-assembled one.

Before the print run

Print 1, prop it where it will stand, and scan it from a standard sitting distance with a phone that isn't yours. That catches a size not big enough for the room, a color that disappears on the paper, and a gloss finish that reflects the lights.

Then print the rest. The 3 minutes are less expensive than a room of illegible appears.

Common questions

How many templates are there?

4: Classic, Script, Modern Minimal and Festive.

Which size should I print?

A6 for tables, A4 at the door. A5 if you only want 1 format.

Does the PDF include bleed?

Yes, 3 mm on every side plus crop marks.

Can I move the code around the layout?

No. The code and its clear margin are fixed, since that's what makes it scan.

What should I write on it?

What the guest gets, in one line, and that no app is needed.

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The text will not fit

Shorten the line, or move up a size. Forward us the event name if the designer still complains.