On a printed card your web address is typed out quickly, and mistyped even more quickly. With a QR code nobody has to type at all: hold the phone camera over it and your page is open. You will find it in your dashboard under Einladungen → QR-Code (invitations → QR code).
What you can use it for
Save the date: the date is on the card, and your family can read up on everything else on your page already.
The invitation: directions, the schedule and the sign-up are one scan away, instead of spread over three inserts.
Place cards and little signs: at the celebration itself the same code brings your guests back to your page once more, for the schedule of the day or the guest book for example.
The code points permanently to your own address, for example anna-und-max.unsere-einladung.de. It does not expire and never needs touching again once it is printed.
For your guests' photos there is a code of its own: under Galerie → QR-Code für den Foto-Upload (QR code for the photo upload) you build a code with the same choices of style, colour, background and heart that leads straight to your photo page. There you can also get it as a ready-made table card to print and stand up. More on this in the article „Collecting your guests' photos“.
How you build your code
Open Einladungen (invitations) and switch to the tab „QR-Code“.
Under Stil (style) pick one of the four variants: Klassisch (classic), Abgerundet (rounded), Punkte (dots) or Fein (fine). Every tile shows your real code in miniature, so you see straight away how it looks.
Pick a Farbe (colour): Schwarz (black), Wein (wine), Salbei (sage) or Nachtblau (midnight blue). All four are deliberately dark, because a light code often cannot be read once it is printed.
For the Hintergrund (background), decide between Weiß (white) and Transparent. Transparent puts the code on your paper without a white box, which looks lovely on coloured or patterned card. Just make sure the surface underneath stays light.
If you like, switch on „Herz in der Mitte“ (heart in the middle). It makes the code a little more personal, and it stays readable all the same.
The big preview follows along live while you do it, next to the settings on a computer and above them on a phone. What you see there is exactly what comes out of the download.
PNG or SVG?
As a PNG: an image 2048 pixels along each edge. That works for Word, Canva and everything that needs to be quick.
As an SVG: the file for the print shop. It can be scaled up as much as you like without going blurry. If your print shop asks for a vector file, this is the right answer.
If you are not sure, simply download both. It costs nothing and you have the right file for every case.
Good to know: print the code once as a test and scan it yourself before the cards go to print. Do not make it too small, about two centimetres along each edge is a good start, and leave a bit of white space all around it.
Why the code only appears once you unlock
As long as your page is not unlocked, you can still change your address at any time. A printed code has to be right forever though, because a hundred cards cannot be exchanged. That is why the tab shows the card „Deinen QR-Code gibt es nach dem Freischalten“ (your QR code is there once you unlock) with the button „Jetzt freischalten“ (unlock now), which takes you to Einstellungen → Laufzeit (settings → term). After that your code is ready for you right away.
If you have not chosen your address yet, it says „Erst die Adresse, dann der Code“ (first the address, then the code) with the button „Adresse festlegen“ (set address). The code does need somewhere to point to.
Not published yet?
Then you will see a golden note above the preview. The code already points to your address, but your guests will only see something there once you publish your save the date or your invitation. So publish before the cards go to print.
The quick way there
You do not have to go through Einladungen (invitations) every time. On the Webseite (website) page, the quick access holds the entry „QR-Code für deine Karten“ (QR code for your cards). One click and you are exactly there.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to create the code again when I change my page?
No. The code leads to your address, not to individual content. So you can keep working on your page as much as you like after printing. Only if you change the address itself does a code you have already printed stop being right.
Can I enter a colour of my own?
No, there are exactly those four dark shades to choose from. That is on purpose: many phones simply cannot scan light or pastel codes, and you only notice that once the cards have long been sent.
Is the code still readable with the heart?
Yes. As soon as the heart is on, we calculate the code with the highest error correction automatically, so it copes with the covered spot in the middle. A test scan never hurts all the same.
Does the code work if my page has a password?
Yes, the scan takes your guests to your page and there we ask for the password as always. It is best to write it on the card or in the invitation too, otherwise your guests are standing in front of a locked door.