Design and scanability

Frames, calls to action and stickers

A bare code on a wall gets fewer scans than the same code with three words under it. Frames and stickers add that instruction — as long as they stay outside the quiet zone.

Reviewed August 20, 2026

Steps

1. Add a frame with a short instruction: what the reader gets, not “scan me”.
2. Keep every decorative element outside the quiet zone.
3. Match the frame colour to the print, not to the screen — a colour that looks right on a monitor can flatten on uncoated stock.
4. Re-test after adding a frame; it is easy to eat into the margin without noticing.

How to check it worked

Scan the framed export. Then ask someone who has not seen it what they think will happen if they scan it.

What usually goes wrong

• A frame that overlaps the quiet zone.
• A call to action that says “scan me” and nothing about the reward.
• Text too small to read at the distance the code is scanned from.