A QR code will not scan
Work through why a printed code is not opening your guide, from print quality to an expired web address.
Updated
QR problems are almost always physical rather than digital. Work through these in order.
1. Does the code open the right guide for you?
Scan it yourself with your own phone. If it opens your guide, the code is fine and the problem is with the printed copy or the guest's phone.
2. Is it printed large enough?
Around 3cm square is a reliable minimum for a card, larger for a wall sign. Below that, phone cameras struggle, particularly older ones.
Codes also need white space around them. A code printed tight against a border or a photograph is harder to detect.
3. Is it glossy or reflective?
Gloss laminate and shiny card reflect light straight back into the camera. Matte paper scans far more reliably.
If a code only fails under a ceiling light, this is usually why.
4. Is the contrast right?
Dark code on a light background. Reversed codes — light on dark — fail on many phones, and codes printed over a photograph are worse again.
5. Has the web address changed?
If you changed the guide's web address more than 90 days ago, the redirect has ended and any code printed with the old address has stopped working.
Download the current QR code and reprint. This is the one cause that is not physical.
6. Is the guide still active?
A deactivated guide shows a not-found page to everyone, however the guest arrived.
Always print the address as text too
A line of text beneath the code — welcomeflo.com/yourguide — means a guest whose camera will not cooperate can still type it. It costs nothing and removes the problem entirely.
