Start by checking that there is a QR code to scan. In Marker Studio the switch Print a QR on the face can be turned off, which leaves a design with an NFC chip and no printed code. The Studio warns you at the time: "No QR on this Marker. Phones that can't tap won't open it", but it is easy to miss when you are ordering forty Markers.
Size and distance
This is the cause most of the time. A code needs roughly one centimetre of width for every ten centimetres of scanning distance. A design that scans perfectly on your monitor can be unreadable on a wall.
| Where it is | How far away people stand | Minimum code width |
|---|---|---|
| A table tent at Marigold & Vine | About 30 cm | 3 cm |
| A wall label beside an exhibit | About 60 cm | 6 cm |
| A sign across a gallery | 3 m | 30 cm |
| Across a car park | 10 m+ | Do not use QR. Use a tap, or a short printed link. |
Light, finish and contrast
- Glare is the second cause. Glossy laminate reflects a ceiling light straight back into the camera and creates a dead zone across the middle of the code. Matte paper or matte vinyl scans far more reliably under restaurant and retail lighting.
- Contrast has to be high. The modules must be darker than the background. Inverted codes, light modules on a dark field, work on new phones and fail on older ones, and the failure is silent.
- Leave a margin. Scanners need empty space around a code to find it. Keep a clear border of at least four module widths on every side. Crowding a code with text or a tight frame breaks detection more often than people expect.
- Watch for scuffing. A code printed on a surface that gets wiped down daily loses modules over time. A centre logo already consumes 20-25% of them, so there is less damage to spare.
Check the phone
- 1
Use the built-in camera app
On iPhone and modern Android the default camera reads QR codes with no extra app. A third-party scanner is not needed and sometimes behaves worse.
- 2
Confirm QR scanning is switched on
On iPhone it lives in Settings › Camera › Scan QR Codes. Some Android camera apps have an equivalent toggle, occasionally off by default.
- 3
Fill about a third of the frame with the code
Too close and the camera cannot focus. Too far and there are not enough pixels per module. Move until it locks.
- 4
Check the phone has a connection
The camera can read the code perfectly and still go nowhere if there is no signal. On a site with poor coverage this presents as a QR problem and is not one.
Every Marker has a chip as well
Even a QR-first design has an NFC chip inside it. If the printed code is damaged or badly lit, a tap still opens the same Experience: the chip and the code carry the same address. That is worth telling front-of-house staff, because it turns a broken code into an inconvenience rather than a dead sign.
Example
Harbour Point Aquarium: the touch pool sign
The touch pool code was printed at 2 cm on a glossy sign, and visitors were reading it from behind a barrier a metre back. Reprinting at 10 cm on matte vinyl took the failed scans to nearly none. The Experience behind it never changed, and no Marker was relinked.
If none of that worked
Photograph the code as it is installed, from where a visitor stands, and send it to us with the Marker name. Most of the time the photograph shows the answer. Include the Support PIN from your Account page.
Can I use brand colours in the code?
Yes, on the modules. Keep the background plain white or near-white, and keep the modules clearly darker than it. Two mid-tones next to each other is what fails.
Does a logo in the middle break scanning?
Not usually. A simple wordmark or icon with a small clear ring around it still reads. A photograph in the middle does not: keep it flat and simple.
The code scans but opens a NearField page instead of mine.
Then the code is fine and the Marker is not linked. Open Markers in your dashboard, find the row, and use Relink.
Designing a replacement face? Marker Studio previews the code at print size before you order.
Open Marker Studio