How to print 100 QR codes: the list, a pilot sheet and cutting

With 100 QR codes, a mistake in the list shows up late: you find it on a sticker that is already on a table. Making the codes is also only part of the job, because after printing you cut the sheets and put every sticker in its place.

The generator lays out the grid when you print multiple QR codes on one page. Four steps around it keep the extra work under control, and cutting comes after them. You need nothing beyond an office laser or inkjet printer.

Step 1: one file with the list and captions

Keep all 100 links in one file, a spreadsheet or a text file, one link per line. You print from this file, check the stickers against it and reprint from it later.

Give every link a caption. At Corner Cafe the caption is the table number, so the link https://example.com/t/5 gets the caption Table 5. In a spreadsheet the caption goes into the second column, and in a text file it goes after the link with a space: https://example.com/t/5 Table 5. Without captions all 100 stickers look the same, and you have to scan each one to see which table it goes on.

Before you generate, delete duplicates and header lines. The generator keeps duplicates, so two identical links give two identical codes. It does not open the links either, so check a few yourself. If you exported the list from another system, check the first and the last line. For links built on a pattern, also open one from the middle of the range, such as https://example.com/t/48, because a link in the right format can still lead to a web page that does not exist.

Paste a text list into the field in "Step 1 · Content" on the "Links" tab. For a spreadsheet, click "Pick a file", choose the CSV or Excel file and click "Import", and the second column becomes the caption. The column settings are described where you make QR codes from a spreadsheet. One run takes up to 1,500 lines, and a caption can be up to 100 characters.

Step 2: pick the size before the grid

Pick the code size first, based on how far away people scan it, and count the codes per sheet after that. For stickers that people scan with a phone in hand, 2–2.5 cm (about 0.8–1 in) is enough. Below 2 cm phone cameras have trouble reading a code with a link. A long link makes the code denser, so give it 2.5 cm or 3 cm (about 1.2 in). The full count, from the scanning distance to the module size, is in the article on how to pick the QR code size for printing.

Guests at Corner Cafe scan the code from their seat, so 2 cm works. Pick the sheet that matches your paper, A4 or US Letter. With captions, 35 codes fit on an A4 sheet, and the codes for 100 tables take 3 sheets. On Letter 30 codes fit, and the same 100 codes take 4 sheets.

The counts below are for the default margin, gap and frame of the generator.

A caption adds a 0.6 cm strip under its code, so the grid keeps its columns and can lose a row. On A4 it loses one row at every size in the table, and on Letter at 3 cm and 4 cm the count stays the same. When you change the size, the generator recalculates the grid at once, and the preview shows the first sheet and the number of sheets.

Step 3: margins, gaps and cut marks

Open "Fine tuning" in "Step 2 · Look and size". The "Margins" group has two fields: "Margin at the sheet edges (cm):" and "Gap between codes (cm):". The margin is 1.7 cm by default, because office printers do not print right up to the edge of the paper. On a printer you have not tried before, leave it at 1.7 cm.

The gap is 0.6 cm by default. If you cut the sheet into separate stickers, raise it to about 1 cm, so a cut that goes off the line does not reach the code. The gap also works as the quiet zone, the clear space that the phone camera needs around each code.

Turn on "Cut marks", and the generator draws short marks at the corners of every cell of the grid. They appear only when the gap is 0.5 cm or more. Check the preview. If you see the marks, the sheet is ready for cutting, and if there are none, the gap is still below 0.5 cm. A wider gap can cost a row or a column, so look at the number of sheets in the preview after the change.

Step 4: a pilot sheet before the print run

Point at a few codes in the preview with the loupe. It reads the content of each code, so a caption paired with the wrong link shows up before you spend any paper. The loupe does not check print quality, and the pilot sheet is there for that.

Click "Download PDF" in "Step 3 · Format". The PDF is a vector file laid out for the sheet you picked. Print it at 100% or "Actual size" with "Fit to page" turned off. With scaling on, a 2 cm code can print at 1.9 cm, and you will not see the difference by eye.

Print only the first sheet. Scan three codes from different corners of the sheet with a phone and check that each one opens the link of its own table. Then measure one code with a ruler. If it measures 2 cm, print the rest. If it comes out smaller, the print dialog is still scaling, so fix the setting and print the pilot sheet again. For a print shop that asks for SVG, "Download SVG" gives the same sheets as SVG files.

Cutting, sticking and the reorder

Cut along the marks with scissors, or with a knife and a ruler. For stickers, print on full sheets of self-adhesive paper and cut them the same way. Plain 80 g/m² (20 lb) paper is fine for codes indoors. For codes outdoors or on equipment, use self-adhesive paper or laminate the sheet. Which label paper to buy, which tray to use and what lasts in the cold is in the article on QR code stickers from a home printer.

Put the stickers on in the order of the captions, and mark each line in the file as done, so you can see which tables are left.

When the cafe adds tables, add the lines to the same file and print them on a new sheet with the same size and margins. The new codes come out the same size as the old ones. A damaged sticker already has its line in the file, so print that line again. If you reprint on other paper, pick it in "Sheet:" first, or the printer will scale the codes. The grids for both formats are side by side in the article on A4 or US Letter for QR code sheets.

The knowledge base on printing has other articles on paper, code size and print settings.

FAQ

Next step

Print the first sheet of your own list and scan three codes from different corners of it. All three should open their own links, and the code you measure should be 2 cm on the ruler.

Make a sheet of 100 QR codes with captions, and print the pilot sheet before the rest. The generator is free and takes up to 1,500 lines in one run.