QR codes on product packaging: what to add
Packaging has room for a logo, a few lines of text and the legal small print. A QR code adds everything else: setup videos, manuals, returns and a direct line to your support team. This guide covers what small brands put behind packaging codes, which type of code to use, and how to print one that scans on curved, shiny or tiny surfaces.
By Aidan Lowson · Updated
What a code on the box can do
- Cut support requests. A setup guide or video one scan away answers the questions that would otherwise arrive by email.
- Keep customers coming back. A code that leads to reordering or a newsletter keeps you in touch after the sale.
- Save space. Long instructions, recipes and care guides can live behind the code instead of on the box. Anything the law requires on the pack, like ingredients, allergens and safety warnings, must stay printed on it.
Ideas for packaging QR codes
- Setup and instructions: a manual, a video or a quick-start page.
- Support and returns: an email to your support inbox with "Help with my order" as the subject.
- Reorder: a link to the product page, for things customers run out of.
- Feedback and reviews: see our guide to getting customer feedback with a QR code.
- Care and recycling: how to wash it, refill it or dispose of the packaging.
- The story behind the product: the maker, the farm or the materials.
Which type of code to use
- A link to your own website is the best choice for most packaging. Make it with the URL QR code generator. Use a page you can update, like yoursite.com/setup, so you never have to reprint boxes when the instructions change.
- An email code from the email QR code generator for support and returns, so customers reach a person with the subject already filled in.
- A text code from the text QR code generator for short information that must work offline, such as a batch number, a warranty code or a few lines of instructions. Keep it to a few sentences so the code stays small.
Add a QR code to your packaging in 4 steps
- Build the destination first and check it on a phone. A setup page that is hard to read on mobile wastes the scan.
- Make the code with your brand colours, keeping it dark on a light background. Add your logo with error correction set to Quartile or High.
- Download an SVG and send it to your designer or printer. It stays sharp at any size.
- Print a proof on the real material and scan it on two or three phones before the full run.
Printing tips for packaging
- Avoid tight curves. On a bottle or tube, put the code on the flattest part or keep it small enough that it barely wraps.
- Watch out for shine. Gloss lamination, foil and clear film reflect light. Print the code on a matt panel if you can.
- Keep away from folds and seams, where the code gets creased or cut.
- Say what it does. "Scan for setup video" tells customers why they should bother.
- Avoid redirect services. Packaging lives for years, and a code from a trial that expires is printed on every box. Read why QR codes stop working.
Frequently asked questions
How small can a QR code be on packaging?
About 2 x 2 cm for a short link, printed crisply. Codes holding more data, like a block of text, need to be bigger. Always print a proof on the real material and scan it.
Can I change where the code goes after the packaging is printed?
Only if the code points at a link you control. Use a page on your own website, like yoursite.com/setup, and update that page whenever you need to.
Does the QR code need to be black?
No, but it needs strong contrast: a dark colour on a light background. Avoid printing it on clear film over a busy product photo.
Will the codes expire?
No. Codes made with Free QR Gen are static, so there is no subscription to keep paying for every box you have already shipped.
Can I see how many customers scanned the code?
Not from the code itself. If you link to your own website, your website analytics show visits to that page, which is a good stand-in.
Create your packaging QR code now, free →
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