Which code where
| Job | Code type | Static or dynamic | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructions and manual | URL | Dynamic | Back panel, inside lid |
| Product registration | URL | Dynamic | Inside flap, warranty card |
| Reorder or subscribe | URL | Dynamic | Consumables, near the fill line |
| Authenticity check | URL (serialised) | Dynamic | Under seal or scratch panel |
| GS1 Digital Link | URL (GS1 format) | Dynamic | Where the barcode sits, or beside it |
| Recycling and disposal | URL | Dynamic | Base or back panel |
Instructions and registration
The back of the box has never had enough room for the instructions, and printed manuals are the first thing thrown away. A code on the back panel that opens the setup steps, a short video and the full manual in the buyer’s language solves both problems. Make it dynamic. The pack is printed in one run, and the instructions will be revised more than once in its shelf life.
Registration codes belong inside the pack, on the flap or the warranty card, not on the outside. Nobody registers a product in the shop, and the same code seen twice reads as clutter. Link to a form that is already filled with the product model so the buyer only adds their details.
Reorder and authenticity
On a consumable such as a filter, a refill or a supplement, the reorder code earns its place next to the “replace when” marker. Someone looking at an empty pack is ready to buy. That code is scanned late in the product’s life, after it has been in a cupboard or a bathroom, so use level Q and keep it away from the tear strip.
Authenticity is where expectations run ahead of what a code can do. A printed code is a picture; a counterfeiter copies it along with the rest of the artwork. What makes a code useful is a unique serial per unit in the link, a page that says “this unit was first checked on this date in this country”, and a seal the buyer has to break to reach it. A second scan of the same serial from another country is a signal, and that is the value.
GS1 Digital Link
GS1 Digital Link puts the product’s GTIN, the number inside the barcode, into a web address inside a QR code, so one code serves the till, the consumer and the supply chain. It is standardised, and retailers are trialling it at checkout. If you are redesigning packaging now, it is worth planning for. The retail and supply chain explainer covers the format, the timetable and what your till provider needs.
Getting the pack code right
- Size: 2 cm on a flat smooth panel is the floor. 2.5 to 3 cm on corrugated board, film or a curve.
- Curves: a code wrapped around a bottle or a can distorts. Place it along the axis, not around the circumference, and keep it small. The difficult surfaces guide has the detail.
- Quiet zone: at least four modules of clear background around the code. Do not let the artwork touch it.
- Contrast: dark ink on a light panel. Do not print in the brand’s pale accent or reverse it out of a dark box; the colour guide explains why a light-on-dark code fails on many phones.
- Finish: matte varnish over the code, or a varnish-free window. High gloss reflects shop lighting.
- Proof: scan the printed proof with two phones, in shop lighting, before sign-off.
Do this
A 2.5 cm level M code, black on the white back panel, with a matte varnish knock-out, 'Scan for setup and manual' beneath, pointing at a dynamic link.
Not this
A 1.5 cm code in metallic silver ink, wrapped around a curved jar lid under gloss lacquer, pointing at a PDF manual that is replaced every quarter.
In practice
Ask the printer for the code as a vector in the artwork, not a placed bitmap. A bitmap that is scaled in layout gets soft edges and uneven modules, which is the commonest cause of a code that scans on screen and fails on the shelf.
Security note
A code on packaging is a public link that anyone can copy onto a fake pack. Never rely on it to prove authenticity without a per-unit serial, and never put anything in the code that you would not print in plain text on the box. Watch the scan data for a dynamic code: a burst of scans from an unexpected region can be your first warning of grey-market or counterfeit stock.
Try it yourself
Enter the scan distance and the print method and the calculator gives you a minimum width and module size. Then test the printed proof with the scannability tester before the run.