QR code and variable data printing

What we can put a code on

Almost anything we print can carry a QR code or Data Matrix code. Popular uses:

• Business cards: a code that saves your contact details straight to a phone, opens your website or books an appointment. Each person in a team can have their own.
• Product labels and stickers: link to instructions, ingredients, reorder pages or reviews, or give every label its own serial code for tracking.
• Service stickers for trades: a unique code on each sticker that opens that appliance's service record or your booking page, so customers can find you again.
• Gift vouchers, tickets and invitations: a unique code on every voucher or ticket so each one can be checked and redeemed once, or an RSVP link on wedding invitations.
• Menus, table cards and flyers: order-at-table, menus, reviews, Wi-Fi details or a discount code on flyers and leaflets.
• Swing tags and certificates: product pages, authenticity checks or certificate verification.
• Banners, site boards and van signs: big codes that scan from across a room or a car park.

One code, or a different code on every piece

If everyone should land on the same page, we print one code across the whole run. If every piece needs its own code, such as numbered tickets, single-use vouchers, asset tags or personalised invitations, send us a spreadsheet with one row per item. We build a code for each row and print them in order, alongside names, numbers or any other text that changes from piece to piece.

Variable data printing: names, numbers and personalisation

Codes are just one kind of variable data. On our own digital press in Maidstone we can change anything from one piece to the next in the same run: wedding invitations with each guest's name and address, place cards, name badges, certificates with each person's name, numbered tickets and raffle tickets, flyers or vouchers each with a different promotional code, and personalised mailers. Send us a spreadsheet and your design, and we'll merge them, proof the first few and print the lot in full colour or black and white.

QR code or Data Matrix?

QR codes are the right choice for anything customers will scan with a phone: every modern phone camera reads them. Data Matrix codes pack the same information into a smaller square, so they suit tiny labels, small parts, electronics and product traceability, where codes are read by a barcode scanner. Not every phone camera reads Data Matrix without an app, so we don't recommend it for marketing.

How we make codes that scan first time

• Big enough for the distance. We print phone-scanned QR codes at least 2 x 2cm, and size them up for distance: roughly 1cm of code for every 10cm someone will stand away.
• A clear border. Every code keeps a blank "quiet zone" around it, at least four of its own squares wide, with no text, borders or artwork inside it.
• Solid, sharp black. We output codes as vectors in 100% black only, so there's no fuzzy edge from four inks lining up on press.
• Strong contrast. Dark code on a light background. Brand colours can work if they're dark enough, but pale codes, codes on busy photos and white-on-black codes cause problems, so we'll advise.
• Short links. The longer the web address, the denser and harder to scan the code. A short link, or a "dynamic" QR code from a QR code service, keeps it simple.
• The right error correction. Higher settings let a code survive scuffs, a logo in the middle or a curved surface, at the cost of a slightly busier code. We choose the level to suit how it will be used.
• Kept away from folds, trims and holes. Codes are placed clear of creases, cut lines, perforations and eyelets.
• Test-scanned. We scan a printed proof before the full run, and check variable codes against your spreadsheet.

Static or dynamic QR codes?

A static QR code holds the web address itself and works forever, but can't be changed once printed. A dynamic QR code points to a short link that you control through a QR code service, so you can change where it goes and see how many people scan it, without reprinting. For anything that will be around for a while, such as business cards, signs and packaging, a dynamic code is usually worth it. We can print codes from any QR code service, or make static codes for you.

Barcodes on retail products: getting ready for 2027

UK retailers are moving to 2D barcodes at the till. Under GS1's "Sunrise 2027" programme, shop scanners should be able to read QR codes and Data Matrix codes by the end of 2027, and a single GS1 Digital Link QR code can work as your barcode at the checkout and as a link to your website. If you sell products in shops, your product number (GTIN) comes from GS1 UK. Send us the code or the details your GS1 account gives you, and we'll print it accurately on your labels and test it before the full run.

What to send us

• One code for everything: the web address, or the code itself as a vector file (PDF, SVG or EPS).
• A different code, name or number on each piece: a spreadsheet (Excel or CSV) with one row per item and a column for each thing that changes, such as the link, name or number.
• Your artwork with a space marked for the code or text, or ask us to set up the artwork for you.

Not sure what you need? Tell us what it's for and we'll recommend the size, type and product.