Adding QR codes and barcodes to a page in Layout by Zaweba

Posters want a QR code that takes people to a booking page. Packaging needs an EAN-13 on the back. A conference badge needs a contact card code. Layout by Zaweba makes all of these inside the document, under Object > Insert > QR code or Barcode, so you don't need a separate generator or a downloaded picture of a code.

The QR codes you can make

QR codes can hold a web link, plain text, an SMS, an email, a contact card, Wi-Fi details, a phone number or a map location. Choose the kind and fill in the details; the code is built to suit.

The everyday choice is the web link, for posters, flyers, menus and adverts. Wi-Fi codes are handy on a café table card or a holiday let information sheet, letting guests join without typing a password. Contact card codes suit business cards and name badges. Map codes help on event invitations.

The barcodes you can make

For barcodes the types are Code 128, EAN-13, ITF-14, Code 39, EAN-8, UPC-A, Code 93 and Codabar. EAN-13 and UPC-A are the retail barcodes for products, EAN-8 is the short version for small packs, ITF-14 is used on outer cartons, and Code 128, Code 39 and Code 93 suit labels, stock and internal tracking. Codabar turns up in libraries and some older systems.

Pick the type the job specifies. A retail product needs whatever its barcode number was issued for; a warehouse label needs whatever the scanners on site read.

Why vector codes print better

Codes are drawn as vector art, not pictures. They print sharp at any size, with clean edges that scanners like, rather than the soft or jagged edges you get when a small picture of a code is scaled up.

They are drawn in the frame's fill colour. That means a code can be printed in any swatch, including a spot ink. On packaging printed in a limited set of inks, the barcode can go in the dark spot colour that's already on press instead of needing a separate black plate. On a branded poster, the QR code can match the brand colour.

To change a code later, double-click it to edit. The frame and its position stay put, so a new link on next season's poster is a quick change.

Getting codes to scan reliably

Contrast matters most. Dark codes on light backgrounds scan best. A pale code on a white page, or a dark code on a busy photo, may not scan at all. Choose the fill colour with that in mind, and put the code on a plain area.

Size matters too. A QR code holding a long web address has more detail and needs to be printed larger. Test it at the size you'll print.

Leave space round codes. Scanners need a clear margin, so don't crowd a QR code with text or a border.

Test with a real phone or scanner on a printed proof, not just on screen. It takes a minute and avoids reprinting a whole run.

Codes for many records at once

For a single poster, insert a code and you're done. For a set of name badges, product labels or tickets where every code is different, Layout's data merge can put a QR or barcode field on each record, filled from a spreadsheet. That is the route to hundreds of unique codes in one document.

When a code is needed outside a layout, QR by Zaweba and Barcode by Zaweba are small stand-alone apps that save codes as PNG, SVG or PDF. Inside a document, though, inserting the code directly keeps it editable and in the document's own colours.