A QR code for the product manual
Owners find the manual on the device years after the box is gone, and you update it with every revision.
A QR code for a product manual opens the instructions on the owner's phone, straight from a label on the device. Upload the manual as a PDF, print the code on the rating plate, the box and the quick-start sheet, and replace the file when a revision ships. Every label then opens the current version.
Stuck? Scan the label
An owner scans the label under the grinder and finds the cleaning page with photos.
How to put the manual on the product
Prepare the PDF
Mobile-friendly pages, large type and a contents page with links to each chapter.
Upload it
Choose the PDF type above and upload the manual. The code opens it in any phone browser.
Print on the device
The rating plate, the inside of a lid or a durable sticker where owners look when stuck.
Revise in place
A new firmware or a corrected page? Upload the new file and every label follows.
Worked example: a maker of coffee grinders
- The label
- A 2 cm code on the underside reads "Scan for the manual", next to the model number.
- The revision
- A cleaning step changes in year two. The new PDF goes live and every grinder sold opens it.
- The support queue
- Calls about burr cleaning fall, because owners find the step with a photo in seconds.
Fixed or editable for a manual?
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Fixed QR code (static)
A fixed code can only hold a link to a file you host yourself, at an address that must never change for the life of the product.
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Editable QR code (dynamic) Our pick for this job
An editable code hosts the manual, swaps it with each revision and counts scans per model, so we recommend it. From $9 a month after the 14-day trial; bulk codes cover a whole range.
Manuals people can use
Durable labels
Choose a label that survives heat, cleaning and years of use, and test the scan after wear.
One code per model
Separate codes per model keep the right manual with the right device.
Add a video link
A link inside the PDF to a short video helps with the steps people get stuck on.
Questions and answers
Before you print
- Is it free?
- Fixed codes are free: make as many as you like, download a PNG with no sign-up, and get every other format and print files with a free account. Editable codes come with a plan, a pass, Keep-alive or the 14-day trial.
- Can I change the link after printing?
- Yes, with an editable code. It holds a short link you control, so you can point the printed code somewhere new any time, and the next scan opens the new page. A fixed code keeps the link it was made with.
- Can I use my own domain?
- Yes. A custom domain is included on passes, from Starter, and during the trial. Starter covers one subdomain, for example go.yourbrand.com, and apex domains start on Pro.
- What happens if I stop paying?
- Editable codes work to the end of your paid period, and after a failed payment every code keeps working for 14 days. Turn codes back on within 12 months. Fixed codes keep working as long as their links do.
Can a QR code replace the printed manual?
Check the rules for your product type first, because some products must ship with printed safety information. The code works best as the always-current full manual next to a short printed sheet.
Where should the manual code go on a product?
On the device itself, near the model number or inside a lid, plus the box and the quick-start sheet.
How do I keep manuals for old models online?
Keep each model's code pointing at its own manual. With editable codes, old models keep working while new ones get new files.
Can I make codes for a whole product range?
Yes. Upload a list of models and links in the bulk tool and download one code per model for your label printer.
What label size works on a device?
About 1.5 to 2 cm is enough at close range, if the print is sharp and the label stays flat.
Can the manual open in the owner's language?
Put a language choice on the first page, or give each language edition its own code on the box for that market.
The manual lives on the product
Upload the manual PDF and print the first device label today.