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To measure traffic from a printed QR code, add campaign parameters to the destination URL before you generate the code. Then test the printed proof and review tagged visits in your analytics platform. Those visits are not necessarily the same as the number of people who scanned: a scan can happen without a page load, and analytics tracking can fail or lose its tags.
How to create a QR code for a flyer or other print piece
- Choose the destination. Select the page people should reach and check that it loads and works well on a phone.
- Decide what you need to distinguish. Choose whether reports should separate materials such as a brochure, store poster, or business card, and whether you need to tell apart different designs or calls to action.
- Tag the destination URL. Add consistent campaign parameters before entering the URL into a QR generator. Google Analytics explains that campaign parameters help identify which campaigns refer traffic and appear in acquisition reporting: Google Analytics URL builder guidance.
- Generate and export the code. Use an export format and resolution suited to your design and print workflow. Preserve a clear margin around the code and avoid stretching or distorting its grid.
- Add a short call to action. Place wording such as “Scan for the menu” or “Scan to see the offer” outside the code’s blank quiet zone.
- Proof and test the actual print. Print at the intended size and test with more than one phone under realistic viewing conditions. Confirm that the right page opens and that any redirect preserves the campaign parameters.
- Review tagged traffic after distribution. In your analytics platform, look for the campaign values you assigned. Call these visits, sessions, or campaign traffic—not exact scan counts unless your QR provider documents and defines its scan metric.
Set up campaign parameters consistently
Google recommends using utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign to identify campaign traffic. Parameter values are case-sensitive, so choose a naming convention and use it consistently across your printed materials. For example, use lowercase values throughout rather than mixing capitalization.
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utm_sourceidentifies where the traffic came from, such asbrochureorstore_poster.utm_mediumidentifies the marketing medium, such asprint.utm_campaignidentifies the campaign, such asfall_open_house.utm_contentcan distinguish creative versions, calls to action, or placements within the same broader campaign.
Example pattern: https://example.com/offer&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=fall_open_house. Replace the example domain and values with your actual destination and campaign details. Do not put personally identifying information in campaign parameters. Google’s campaign URL guidance explains how to use these tags.
Keep a campaign record
Record the final destination, QR placement, and parameter values together before generating artwork. A simple worksheet helps ensure that the code on each print piece corresponds to the campaign name you expect to see in analytics. If several materials belong to one campaign, keep the source, medium, and campaign naming consistent and use utm_content only where you need to distinguish individual versions.
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Scans, website visits, and conversions are different measures
A scan is an interaction with the QR code. A tagged visit or session is an analytics record created after the destination loads and tracking works. They will not always match: someone can scan but abandon before the page loads, analytics can be blocked, or a redirect can remove the tags. A conversion is a later outcome—such as a purchase or signup—not another name for a scan.
For this reason, use your website analytics to assess tagged campaign traffic and downstream conversions. Treat a QR provider’s scan dashboard as a separate measure, and rely on it only if the provider explains what it counts and how. The two systems answer different questions.
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Check redirects and destination changes before printing
A QR code that directly encodes the final tagged URL will continue to open that address. Changing the destination later generally means changing the printed code or controlling a redirect at the address the code encodes. A managed redirect may allow destination edits and may provide its own scan metrics, but its terms, link continuity, measurement definitions, data handling, and costs depend on the service.
Test the full path from the printed code through every redirect to the landing page. Google identifies missing UTM tags and redirects that strip parameters as reasons traffic may appear as (direct) / (none); it also notes that offline-document traffic can be classified that way. See Google Analytics guidance on traffic appearing as direct. Before choosing a managed service, verify its current documentation for editability, metric definitions, link continuity, privacy practices, exports, and pricing.
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Make the code readable in print
Preserve the quiet zone and grid
GS1’s 2D Barcodes at Retail Point-of-Sale Implementation Guideline specifies a quiet zone of four module widths on all four sides of a QR Code. Keep text, borders, logos, and other artwork outside that blank margin. Maintain strong light-dark contrast and an even, undistorted grid; poor contrast or distorted modules can make decoding harder. Logos or other modifications can use error-correction capacity or block encoded information, so test altered codes and use verification for high-stakes or regulated packaging.
Choose size for the real print conditions
There is no single marketing QR-code size established here for every flyer, poster, substrate, viewing distance, or printer. GS1 US advises using high-resolution artwork and printing, and notes that size depends on use and print method; its guidance is primarily about retail product barcodes, so retail dimensions should not be treated as universal requirements for marketing materials. See GS1 US 2D barcode guidance. Select a size for the actual conditions and verify the printed proof rather than assuming a screen preview is sufficient.
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- Keep the code off folds, trim lines, curved surfaces, and areas likely to reflect glare.
- Place it on a plain background with a light margin, and keep the call to action outside the quiet zone.
- Test at the size and on the material that will be distributed, including typical lighting and viewing distance.
Choose a direct code or a managed redirect based on control needs
The important distinction is where the destination is controlled. A directly encoded URL is straightforward, but changing the destination after printing generally requires a new code unless you control a redirect at that address. A managed redirect can provide a way to change destinations, but that convenience makes link continuity and dependence on the service important considerations. Neither choice removes the need for UTM tagging if you want to analyze visits in your own website analytics.
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