Posters work at a distance. People notice them across a hallway, at a bus stop, or from the back of a queue, which makes the QR code a design problem as much as a technical one. If it is too small, nobody can scan it from where they stand. If it links to the wrong page, you cannot fix it without reprinting and re-hanging every sheet.
A dynamic code takes care of the second problem. The square stays the same while you change what it opens, from ticket sales to a sold-out notice to a recap video. The first problem comes down to sizing and placement, which the tips below cover in detail, including a simple distance rule you can apply to any poster format.
Where to place it
- Lower third of the poster at roughly chest to eye height once hung, so people do not have to crouch or stretch.
- Next to the date and venue block, since that is where readers look when deciding whether to act.
- On posters inside elevators and stairwells, where people wait with their phones already in hand.
- On transit shelter and waiting-room posters, where dwell time is long enough for someone to scan and read.
- On a duplicate small code near the bottom edge of tall banners, so it is reachable when hung high.
Tips that improve scans
The 10-to-1 distance rule
Make the code at least one tenth of the scanning distance. Someone scanning from 1 m needs a 10 cm code; from 2 m, 20 cm. When in doubt, go bigger, because posters are rarely scanned up close.
Contrast beats color
Keep the code dark on a plain light patch, even on a busy poster. Avoid placing it over photos or gradients, and never invert it to light-on-dark if older phones need to read it.
Write a reason, not an order
"Scan for tickets and seat map" works better than "Scan here." Keep the call-to-action short enough to read from the same distance as the code itself.
Mind glare and height
Laminated and glossy posters reflect overhead lights. Use matte stock where possible, and avoid hanging the code above about 1.8 m or below the knee.
A theater run gets extended
A community theater hangs posters across town for a three-weekend musical, with a code going to the ticket page. Opening weekend sells out, so the board adds a fourth weekend. The marketing volunteer simply updates the ticket page and, once the run ends, points the code to an audition sign-up for the next show. The same posters, still taped to shop windows weeks later, quietly start recruiting cast members instead of advertising a show that has closed.