How to put a QR code on packaging that opens your video manual

1Plan the link before the artwork

The printed code can't change once the boxes are made, so the link behind it has to last. Point the code at a short, permanent address on your own domain, such as brand.com/m/af200, and redirect it to wherever the guide lives. You can then change the video, add languages or fix the page without reprinting. As the W3C put it long ago, cool URIs don't change.

Your own domain also helps people trust the scan. The FTC tells consumers to inspect the URL before opening a link from a QR code, and a recognizable brand address passes that check. Print the short URL under the code for people who prefer to type it.

• Use one code per model, or per model and hardware revision, so each points to the right guide.
• Keep tracking parameters out of the printed URL. They make the code denser; count scans at the redirect instead.
• Avoid short links from a service you don't control. If it shuts down or changes its terms, every box already sold points nowhere.
• A dynamic QR code is simply a fixed code pointing at a redirect you can change, and you can run that redirect on your own domain.

2Size, quiet zone and error correction

QR Code is specified in ISO/IEC 18004, currently the 2024 edition. A code is a grid of modules: Version 1 is 21 x 21 modules, each version adds 4 modules per side, and more data needs more modules, according to Denso Wave, which created the QR Code. (QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.)

That's why short URLs matter. In our own calculation, a 25-character URL fits Version 2 (25 x 25 modules) at error correction level M, while a 142-character URL with tracking parameters needs Version 8 (49 x 49). Printed in the same 20 mm square, the short link's modules are about 0.61 mm and the long link's about 0.35 mm, which is harder to scan.

For checkout scanning, GS1's specification for QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link sets a module size of 0.396 mm minimum, 0.495 mm target and 0.990 mm maximum. If you only need phone scans, it's still a useful reference.

• Quiet zone: leave a clear margin four modules wide on all four sides, with no text, lines or background pattern in it.
• Error correction: level M (about 15% recovery) is the most common choice. Q or H suits codes that may get scuffed or dirty, at the cost of a denser code.
• Size: Denso Wave recommends printing the code as large as the available area allows. Test sizes on the real material rather than trusting a rule of thumb.
• Logos: drawing on the code uses up error correction. Denso Wave warns that a deformed code can read slowly or not at all, and GS1 says modified codes should be verified to ISO/IEC 15415.

3Contrast, color and materials

• Print dark modules on a light background. Denso Wave's basic advice is black on white.
• Avoid red for the code. Scanners that use red light can't separate red modules from a white background, and GS1 says red dark modules are to be avoided.
• Use two colors with strong contrast. GS1 notes that poor contrast, or more than two colors, can make codes fail.
• Watch for reflections: GS1 notes that high-gloss materials and plastic overlap can stop a code from reading even when the colors contrast well, so keep glossy varnish and film off the code area where you can.
• On clear packaging, print a white background behind the code or use a label, and flatten bags where you can, since skewed codes are harder to read.
• Keep the code flat and away from folds, seams, die-cut edges and tight curves.

4Where to place the code

• On the quick-start card or the first thing the customer sees when the box opens. That's when setup questions start.
• On the outside of the box, if you want shoppers in a store to see the product in action before they buy.
• On the product itself, near the model plate or control panel, for later questions about cleaning, errors or maintenance. Use a durable label.
• On the cover of the printed manual.
• Next to each code, a short call to action such as “Scan for the setup video” in your main languages, plus the short URL.
• If the box also carries a retail barcode, follow your retailers' requirements and GS1's rules for multiple barcodes, so checkout scanners pick the right one.

5A landing page that opens in the customer's language

One code can serve every market if the page behind it picks the right language. Browsers share the user's preferred languages with every site (navigator.languages and the Accept-Language header), so the page can preselect the best match.

Don't trap people in that guess. Google's guidance is to let users switch the page language and to avoid automatic redirects between language versions, partly because its crawler sends requests without an Accept-Language header. Show a visible language menu and give each language its own URL, which also lets support send the right link.

Try the live demo: an air fryer guide that opens in one of six languages based on the phone's settings, with chapters and a language menu. Our QR video manuals work the same way for your products. A good landing page includes:

• Product name, model number and a photo, so people know they're in the right place.
• Chapters for unboxing, setup, daily use, cleaning and troubleshooting.
• Captions, plus the key steps as text.
• The manual's safety notes and a link to the full printable manual.
• Support contact, warranty registration and spare-part links.
• Fast loading on mobile data, with no sound until the viewer presses play.

6GS1 Digital Link in brief

GS1 Digital Link is the GS1 standard for writing product identifiers such as the GTIN, plus batch or serial numbers, as a web address. A QR Code that carries one, such as https://example.com/01/09521101530001, where 01 marks the GTIN, can be read by a checkout scanner and can also open a web page on a phone. GS1 recommends using your own domain.

Retail is moving that way. GS1's 2D barcode guideline describes Ambition 2027: retail point-of-sale systems able to read the GTIN from 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. GS1 lists instructions for use among the content one on-pack 2D barcode can lead to, and the brand can update that content without changing the code.

Do you need it? For a link to your video manual, a short URL on your own domain is enough. If your retailers are moving to 2D barcodes at checkout, ask your local GS1 organization about one GS1 Digital Link QR Code that does both jobs.

7Print, test and track scans without personal data

Test the printed code, not just the file.

1. Scan the artwork Check the final print file before it goes to the printer, and confirm the URL is exactly the one you planned.
2. Scan a printed proof Test on the real material with several phones, old and new, iOS and Android, using the built-in camera. Try dim light, glare, angles and different distances.
3. Check the destination Confirm the redirect, the language detection and the page speed on mobile data, from phones set to each of your main languages.
4. Verify styled or checkout codes If the code is styled or will also be scanned at checkout, have it graded to ISO/IEC 15415, as GS1 advises.
5. Count scans privately Count hits on the redirect by product, date, country and language, without cookies or personal data. Cloudflare, for example, describes its Web Analytics as privacy-first and says it does not collect or use visitors' personal data.
6. Keep it alive Renew the domain, watch for errors and keep the redirect working for the life of the product. For machinery sold in the EU with digital instructions, the rules require online access for at least 10 years after it is placed on the market; see our summary of EU digital instructions rules.

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