FixQR
How to test a QR code before you print it
The menus came back from the printer, and the QR code opens a page that does not exist. Or it works on your phone and not on a customer's. Or it scans at your desk but not on the glossy poster under the lobby lights. In every case the code looked fine in the design file. Most QR code problems only show up after printing, when the only fix is a reprint.
Test the finished file, not the code in the design tool. Confirm the exact address it opens. Scan it with two different phones. Then print a full-size proof and scan it from the distance and in the light where people will use it. A code that passes all four checks is ready for a print run.
A printed QR code cannot be fixed with an update. Once a few hundred flyers are out, a typo in the link or a code that is too small is permanent. Ten minutes of testing costs less than a reprint.
1. Test the finished file
Design tools show the code as a clean vector at any zoom. The flyer you export is a different picture. It has a fixed size, a background, compression, and anything placed near the code. Export the final file, open it on a screen, and scan that.
If the flyer was made with an image generator, check that the square is a real code at all. Many AI images draw a pattern that looks like a QR code and stores nothing. Why AI flyers break QR codes explains how to tell.
2. Read the exact destination
A scan that opens something is not the same as a scan that opens the right thing. When the phone shows the address, read it before you tap. Compare it with the address you meant, character by character. You cannot check this by looking at the code.
- Check the spelling of the domain and the page.
- Check that it starts with https, not http.
- Check any event date, code, or tracking text in the address.
- Check a phone number, email, or Wi-Fi name the same way if the code stores one of those instead.
3. Open the page on a phone
Tap through and use the page the way a stranger would. Turn off Wi-Fi so the page loads on mobile data. Make sure it does not ask for a login, does not land on a desktop-only layout, and does not redirect somewhere unexpected. If the page is a form or a ticket link, make sure it is open and working.
4. Use two different phones
Phones use different cameras and different scanning software. Scan with the built-in camera on an iPhone and with the camera or Google Lens on an Android phone. If you can, include an older phone. A code that is close to the limit for size, contrast, or margin often passes on a new phone and fails on an old one.
A good code scans in about a second, with the phone held steady and nothing special done. If you have to move closer, tilt the phone, or wait, the code is marginal. Fix it now.
5. Print a full-size proof
Print one copy at the final size on the same kind of paper. A home printer is fine for the size check. Put it where it will be used, then scan it from where people will actually stand. A poster on a wall is scanned from a step or two back, not with a phone pressed to it.
If it fails from that distance, the code is too small for the spot. What size should a QR code be on a flyer or poster? has the sizes.
6. Check the real light and finish
Glossy paper, lamination, and a window behind the sign can throw glare across the code. Dim rooms make cameras blur. Scan the proof under the lights where it will hang.
If it is going on a curved surface like a bottle or a cup, wrap the proof around something with the same shape and scan it there.
7. Re-test every copy that changes
Every new version of the flyer is a new picture. Scan again after you resize it for social media, crop it for a story, change the colors, or export it in a new format. A code that worked on the letter-size flyer can fail on a small square post.
How FixQR checks the code
FixQR does the first two checks for you on the picture you already have. Add a code, or replace one that does not scan. FixQR reads the finished picture and shows the destination it decoded. Download stays off until that destination matches the one you set. The picture stays in your browser, and there is no account. The phone and print checks are still yours to do.
Can I test a QR code without printing it?
Yes, for the destination. Scan the finished file on a screen to confirm it opens the right page. A screen test cannot prove the printed size, paper, and light will work, so scan a printed proof before a large run.
Why does my QR code scan on one phone but not another?
Phones use different cameras and scanning software. A code near the limit for size, contrast, or margin may pass on a newer phone and fail on an older one. Make the code larger, darker, or give it more blank margin until both phones read it quickly.
Can I change where a printed QR code goes?
Not if the code stores the address directly. The address is part of the pattern. Point the code at a page you control, so you can change that page or redirect it later without reprinting.