QR4Events

Guide: change a QR code after printing

Change a QR code after it's printed

You can change where a QR code goes after printing - as long as it's a dynamic QR code. The printed pattern holds a short link that never changes, and you choose where that link sends people, whenever you like. No reprint, no stickers over the top.

Try it free for 48 hours Packs from £10
  • Change the destination in seconds
  • The printed code stays the same
  • Works on everything already printed

Static or dynamic?

Whether you can change it depends on the kind of code

A static QR code stores the full web address in its pattern - change the address and you need a new pattern, so a new print. A dynamic QR code stores a short link instead; the short link stays put and you change where it points.

A static QR code

  • The web address is baked into the pattern
  • Changing it means a new code and a reprint
  • Long addresses make dense, harder-to-scan codes
  • No record of how many people scanned

A dynamic QR code

  • Holds a short link that never changes
  • Change where it goes any time, no reprint
  • Simpler pattern that scans more easily
  • Every scan counted

How it works

How to change a dynamic QR code

With QR4Events it takes a few seconds, and works for every copy you've already printed.

  1. Open the code

    Sign in, go to Your codes and choose the code you printed.

  2. Change where it goes

    Paste the new web address under "Where it goes". Or schedule it to change at a set date and time.

  3. Save - that's it

    The next person who scans any printed copy goes to the new page. Check it with your phone straight away.

What you get

Built for links that change late

Unlimited changes

Change the destination as often as you need - before the event, on the day or months later.

Schedule a change

Line up the next destination in advance and the code switches at the time you set.

Event, Pro and Agency

Scans carry on counting

Your stats keep running across every change, so you can see the before and after. No IP addresses stored.

Essentials, Event, Pro and Agency

Print-ready artwork

SVG, PNG and EPS artwork that never needs to change, however often the destination does.

Already printed a static code?

What to do if your printed code can't be changed

If the code you printed is static, you can't change the pattern - but you may not need to reprint everything.

  1. Redirect the old address

    If the code points at a page on your own website, ask whoever runs the site to redirect that page to the new one. The printed code keeps working.

  2. Sticker over it

    For a few signs or posters, print the new dynamic code on stickers and cover the old one. Make sure the sticker covers the old code completely.

  3. Make the next print run dynamic

    Switch to a dynamic code for anything you print next, so this never happens again.

What makes a QR code changeable

Every QR code encodes some text, usually a web address. With a static code, that text is the final address itself - so the address is fixed the moment the pattern is drawn. With a dynamic code, the text is a short link to a service like QR4Events, which then forwards people to wherever you've chosen. You never change the short link; you change where it forwards to.

That one step in the middle is also what makes scan statistics possible: the service counts each scan as it forwards it.

Things to keep the same

  • The short link. It's printed in the pattern. Changing it breaks every copy already printed - change the destination instead.
  • An active plan. The forwarding only runs while the code is active. When a pack ends, scans go to a holding page until you extend it.

Questions

Can you change a QR code after it's printed?

You can change where it goes if it's a dynamic QR code - the printed pattern holds a short link and you change its destination. A static QR code can't be changed; it needs a new code and a reprint.

How do I know if my QR code is static or dynamic?

Scan it and look at the address your phone shows before opening it. A short link on a QR code service's domain is usually dynamic; your own full web address is usually static. If you made it on a free generator without an account, it's almost certainly static.

Will the codes I've already printed still work after I change the link?

Yes. Every printed copy goes to the new destination straight away, because the short link in the pattern hasn't changed.

Can I change the design after printing?

You can change colours, logo and caption for new artwork, and old and new prints keep working side by side - they contain the same short link. Just don't change the short link itself once the code is printed.

Is there a limit on how many times I can change it?

No. Change the destination as often as you like while your plan is active.

What happens if my plan ends?

The code shows a "not active" page instead of your destination. Renew or extend and the same printed codes work again - nothing to reprint.

More ways to use QR4Events

Conference badgesOne code on every badge: the joining instructions, today's agenda, then feedback and slides. Badges are printed once; the code keeps up. Exhibition standsStand graphics you reuse at every show, with a code you point at this show's offer - and scan numbers to show it worked.

Next time, print a code you can change

Make a dynamic QR code in a minute and change where it goes whenever you need. Free for 48 hours, no card needed.

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