Dynamic codes: the menu case, and when they are worth it

Dynamic codes add one thing to a static code: the destination is not baked in. That single difference decides whether they are worth it.

Worth it

• Menus. Prices and dishes change; the printed table tent should not. Point the code at your menu page and update the page, not the print.
• Packaging. One print run, but the landing page can change with the season — or be A/B tested.
• Anything you cannot reprint cheaply. Window vinyl, signage, merchandise, vehicle graphics.
• Anything you want to measure. Dynamic codes count scans; static ones tell you nothing.

Not worth it

• Wi-Fi. The network name and password are the content. Encode them directly; nothing should sit between a guest and the connection.
• Contact cards handed out at an event. No reason for the destination to change, and no reason to depend on a third party staying up.
• Anything permanent where the destination will never change. A static code has one less thing that can break.

Before a large print run

1. Print one proof at final size, in the real material, and scan it from the real distance.
2. Scan it with an older phone, not just the newest one you have.
3. Check the destination page loads quickly on mobile data — a menu that takes eight seconds has already lost the table.
4. Confirm the destination does not require a login, an app, or a country-specific service.

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