QR Menu Placement:
Every Surface, Sized Right

The reliable formula is W = D ÷ 10, where W is the QR width in cm and D is the typical scan distance in cm. A seated table at 60 cm needs at least 6 cm? No — that's the bare minimum for older phones. Modern phones with HDR cameras handle 2 × 2 cm at 60 cm comfortably. For dim lighting, glossy paper, or older phones in your audience, scale up. Every surface guide has a specific recommended size for that placement.

One per table for sit-down restaurants, one or two for QSR/coffee shops. The reason: a customer at table 12 doesn't want to walk to the entrance to scan. Per-table QR also enables future enhancements like table-specific ordering, server tagging, or scan analytics by section. The marginal cost of more QR stickers is trivial — about $0.10 each in vinyl. The convenience advantage is large.

Yes, in three ways: contrast (glossy laminate causes glare in direct light), lifespan (paper rips, vinyl lasts), and printing fidelity (low-DPI prints can render a code unscannable). Black-on-white matte vinyl is the safest universal choice. Glossy laminated card stock is fine indoors but problematic outdoors. Paper is acceptable for short-lived events only.

Usually yes, with one exception: high-gloss lamination over a printed QR causes specular glare under hard direct light (window sun, a nearby pendant lamp). The phone camera sees a white bloom over part of the code and fails to decode. Matte lamination eliminates this. If you must use gloss, increase code size by 25–30% so the readable portion still meets the minimum module count.

Yes — common practice for menu access, repeat order links, and review prompts. The constraint is receipt-printer DPI (typically 203 dpi). At that resolution, a QR code below ~2.5 cm × 2.5 cm starts losing module clarity. Most thermal receipt printers handle 3 × 3 cm codes reliably. We cover the receipt-specific math in the receipts guide.

Material-dependent. Plain paper: 1–4 weeks. Standard adhesive vinyl: 6–12 months on indoor surfaces. Laminated vinyl: 1–2 years. Heavy-traffic surfaces (bar tops with constant wiping) wear faster. The trick is replacing visibly degraded codes immediately — a worn QR at 30% module damage often still scans, but at 50%+ it stops working. Inspect quarterly.

Limited but growing. Calorie disclosure (US chains 20+ locations under FDA Menu Labeling Rule), allergen labeling (UK Natasha's Law from 2021, EU Regulation 1169/2011), and alcohol-related warnings (state-by-state in the US). A QR code linking to digital nutrition info satisfies most calorie-disclosure requirements as long as the code is clearly labeled and the destination loads accessible content. Specific guides flag the per-surface rules.

Mostly cosmetic. A logo embedded inside the QR (using error correction redundancy) reduces scan reliability slightly but rarely breaks scanning if the code is at least 4 cm wide. A logo placed next to the QR (separate frame) has no scanning impact. For a small bar QR or business card, skip the embedded logo — the scan reliability hit isn't worth it. For a 6 cm+ window decal, an embedded logo is fine.

Use UTM parameters in the QR code URL. Each surface gets its own UTM source: utm_source=table-tent, utm_source=window-decal, utm_source=receipt. The QR codes look identical to scanners but each one tags scans differently in your menu analytics. Menujo's analytics filter by UTM source on the Pro plan, so you can see which placement drives the most traffic. We also have a free UTM builder tool that generates these URLs.

Vinyl stickers from VistaPrint or a local print shop run about $1–$3 per sticker for runs of 50–100, dropping to $0.10–$0.20 each at 500+ quantities. For one-time small jobs (2–10 stickers), printing on adhesive paper at home and laminating with self-adhesive sheets costs about $0.30 each but lasts only 2–3 months indoors. Most operators are best served by a single 100-sticker run that lasts a year.