QR codes by use Museums
QR codes for museums, galleries and exhibit labels
A wall label has room for a few lines. A code beside it can open the audio guide, the artist's story or the object's record without crowding the wall.
Free and static: paste your link, download SVG or PNG, no sign-up, never expires. Want art, a link you can change later and scan counts? Make it an art code.
QR codes for museums: the facts
- What the code holds
- A link to the object's page, an audio guide track, a video or the ticket page. One dynamic code per gallery lets you update the content when the hang changes.
- Print size
- 1 to 1.25 in on an object label, 2 to 3 in on a gallery introduction panel, 4 in or more on a lobby sign.
- Scan distance
- Visitors stand 2 to 3 ft from a label, which needs about 1 in. Rope lines and plinths push people back, so measure where they actually stand.
- What breaks it
- Low light. Works on paper are usually shown at about 50 lux and paintings at 150 to 200, far dimmer than a shop. Use high contrast, a matte finish and a slightly bigger code than you would in daylight.
- Good to know
- Basements and stone buildings often have weak phone signal. Keep the pages the codes open light, or offer gallery Wi-Fi with a Wi-Fi code at the entrance.
Make it art, tested to scan
We paint the code into a picture in your colours, then test it with three decoders under 16 print and phone conditions before you can download it.
Your codes outlive your subscription
Cancel and dynamic codes keep pointing at your last link. Read the promise.
Corner Roastery
Table tent for a coffee shop, 2026
Coffee bar artwork over a QR code, error correction H.
- Prints
- 1.25 in to 12 in
- Tested
- 10 of 10 core, 5 of 6 stress
- Opens
- the cafe menu
Questions
How big should a QR code be on a museum label?
About 1 in square on a label read from 2 to 3 ft, a little more in dim galleries. Leave clear space so it does not touch the label text.
Will codes scan in dim gallery light?
Plain dark-on-light codes scan well even at conservation light levels. For art codes we test in simulated dim light; still print them at high contrast and on a matte stock.
Can one code open different content in different languages?
Point it at a page that offers languages, or use one dynamic code per language. Phones also send their language setting, so a page can choose automatically.
Can we see which exhibits get scanned?
Yes. Each dynamic code shows scans by day and hour, which tells you which objects people want to know more about.
Related uses
Generators that fit
Dynamic codes, scan counts and AI art start at $9 a month. See pricing.