How to
How to make a QR code for a PDF
The short answer
A QR code cannot hold a PDF. It can only hold a short piece of text, so the PDF has to be online and the code opens its address. The simplest way is a dynamic PDF code: you upload the file, the code opens it, and you can replace the file later without reprinting.
Below are both ways to do it, with the trade-offs, and a few things that make a PDF pleasant to read on a phone.
Why the file cannot go inside the code
The biggest QR code holds under 3 KB of data, and a code that size is too dense to print small. Even a one-page PDF is hundreds of times bigger. So every PDF QR code works the same way underneath: the file sits on a server, and the code holds the link to it.
That leaves one choice for you: who hosts the file.
Option 1: host the file yourself and make a static code
Upload the PDF to your website or a file sharing service, copy the public link, and paste it into a free static code. It costs nothing and never expires on our side.
The catch is that the link is frozen into the print. If you upload a new version, most services give it a new address, and the printed code keeps opening the old file. Shared drive links also break when someone changes the sharing settings or tidies up a folder.
Option 2: a dynamic PDF code on HueQR
In the create flow, choose PDF or menu and upload the file, up to 10 MB. The code opens the PDF straight in the phone's browser, served from the code's own short link, so it works on your own domain too.
When the price list or brochure changes, open the code and press Replace. The next scan opens the new file. Pause or delete the code and the file stops being served at once, which matters for anything you would not want floating around.
PDF codes are part of Pro, because a static code cannot hold a file.
Make the PDF easy to read on a phone
Most people will open it on a small screen, standing up. A few things help:
- Use a single column. Two-column layouts mean pinching and scrolling sideways.
- Keep it small. Under 2 MB opens fast even on a weak signal. Compress images before you upload.
- Put the important part on page one. Few people scroll to page six.
- If you have a web page with the same content, link to that instead. A page fits the screen and a PDF does not.
Protect a PDF that is not for everyone
Any dynamic HueQR code can ask for a password before it opens. That suits a staff handbook, a price sheet for trade customers or a document for a private event. Once someone enters the password it stays open on their phone for 12 hours, and you can change or remove it on the code's page.
Print it so it scans
Add a frame label that says what the scanner will get, like Scan for the price list. A bare code gets ignored. Print it at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide for something held in the hand, and bigger for anything on a wall.
Questions
Can I put a PDF directly into a QR code?
No. A QR code holds at most a few kilobytes of text. The PDF has to be hosted online, and the code opens its link.
Can I change the PDF after printing the code?
Yes, with a dynamic PDF code. Upload a new file on the code's page and the next scan opens it. A static code opens whatever its link points to, so it only updates if that link stays the same.
How big can the PDF be?
Up to 10 MB on HueQR. Smaller is better for the person scanning: under 2 MB opens quickly on a phone signal.
Do people need an app to open the PDF?
No. The phone camera reads the code and the PDF opens in the browser, on iPhone and Android.