The menu QR code, printed right

The QR code is the physical bridge between the table and the online menu, and how well it performs depends on very concrete details: how you generate it, what you print it on, where you put it. This is the complete hands-on tutorial — from generating the code to the table tent on the table — with the measurements, materials and tests that save you from doing everything twice.

How the menu QR code is generated

The QR code isn't created separately: it's born together with the menu. On Ordinami.it you upload the menu from the guided dashboard — the full procedure is on the create a digital menu page — and the system automatically generates your code, downloadable in high resolution and ready for any kind of print, from table tent to window decal.

There's just one technical point to understand: the code points to a stable address, and the content lives on the platform. This means the QR never changes — you update dishes, prices and even the whole seasonal menu, and the printed table tents stay valid forever. That's the fundamental difference from free generators that tie the code to a PDF: every time the file changes, new code and everything reprinted. If, before printing, you want a better sense of how the system works on the customer's side, the overview is on the QR code menu page.

Size: how big it needs to be

The rule of thumb used by print professionals is simple: the side of the QR should be about one tenth of the scanning distance. On the table, where the phone scans from 30-40 centimetres, that means never less than 3x3 centimetres — and 4x4 is more comfortable, especially in low evening light. For a wall sticker read from a metre away you need at least 10 centimetres a side; for a window decal viewed from the pavement, more.

Two technical details that count as much as size. First: the quiet zone, i.e. the white margin around the code — without that free border, some phones struggle to read it, so don't let graphics and frames run right up to the modules. Second: contrast — a dark code on a light background, never the reverse, and beware of "branded" QRs with light colours or graphic effects that sacrifice readability for looks. A beautiful code that doesn't scan is just a decorative square.

Materials: what to print it on so it lasts

The QR lives in a hostile environment: knocked-over glasses, greasy hands, detergent wipe-downs at the end of service. The choice of support decides how long it will last:

• Laminated or acrylic table tent: the recommended standard. It withstands liquids and cleaning, moves aside to wipe the table, and only gets replaced if it goes missing.
• Sticker on the table: practical and disappearance-proof, but choose a matte finish: glossy stickers reflect the spotlights and confuse the camera precisely in the evening.
• Paper placemat: works in informal venues, with the code in a corner that plates and glasses don't cover.
• To avoid: the home-printed, folded A4 sheet: after a week it's greasy, torn and unreadable, and signals neglect before the menu even opens.

The cost stays modest in any case: for an average venue, the full set of table tents is done with a few tens of euros, once.

Where to place it in the venue

The golden rule: the customer must be able to reach the code without getting up, without moving objects and without asking. In practice, one QR per table — on long tables, one every three or four covers, because a single code at the head of the table forces half the guests to pass the tent around.

Beyond the tables, three positions perform well. The window: passers-by can browse the menu before coming in, and the QR becomes an acquisition tool, not just a service one. The counter: in a bar it's the main position, near the till and at eye level. The terrace: here the QR is almost compulsory, because it's the area where staff pass least often and where ordering from the table earns most. One more touch that costs nothing: a line of text under the code — "Scan for the menu" — because a silent QR with no explanation always leaves some customers unsure of what will open.

The test before the final print

The most expensive mistake is ordering thirty table tents and then discovering the code reads badly under the spotlights. The test protocol takes ten minutes: print a single trial copy, put it on the worst-lit table in the venue, and try it in the evening with at least two different phones — an iPhone and an Android, ideally not the latest models. Have someone else do the scanning, not you who already know where to point: if the menu opens in a couple of seconds even for someone doing it for the first time, the code is ready.

In the same test, check that the page that opens is the right, up-to-date menu, and that it reads well on screen without zooming. Once it passes, order the print run for every table and keep a couple of spares. From then on, maintenance is almost nil: the code never changes, so the only periodic check is the physical condition of the table tents. If the menu isn't online yet, start here: first the menu, then the print.

Frequently asked questions