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Madeleine22193658m6ip
Known Participant
February 28, 2025
Question

QR Code Not Working Properly

  • February 28, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 1929 views

Hello, 

 

I am working on a project where multiple files have individual QR codes. The layout of each file stems from a template I made. For some odd reason, a majority of these files' QR codes do NOT work properly. When clicked on through Adobe Acrobt, they all seem to go to a certain link. However, when scanned via your phone, it goes to the proper link. Within InDesign, the links appear correct. Can someone tell me why it keeps taking us to the improper link on Adobe Acrobat? This is how the majority of our viewers will interact with the QR Code, so we desperately need it to work properly. 

Is this an InDesign issue or Adobe issue? Any info is welcome. Thanks! 

2 replies

Mike Witherell
Community Expert
Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 28, 2025

Share the PDF file?

Mike Witherell
James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
February 28, 2025

QR code and click-on links are two different things, managed separately. In print (or on a screen) a QR code is just an image file that can be read by an optical reader. When clicked in an interactive document, they are just an image with an assigned link.

 

If they're not working when clicked on, the problem is entirely in the URL assigned as a hyperlink to the "Image." The QR code is irrelevant.

    M
    Madeleine22193658m6ipAuthor
    Known Participant
    February 28, 2025

    Yes, I am aware the two things are separate. The "Web Hyperlink" associated with the QR code within InDesign is correct, yet when click on through Adobe Acrobat, it is brining up an entirely different link that does NOT exist anywhere on the document. 

    Can you explain that? Thank you

    James Gifford—NitroPress
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    Legend
    March 3, 2025

    I'm assigning to the frame. 

    And not to keep brutally beating up a dead horse but --- I KNOW JAMES. Thank you. 
    We are trying different approaches on our end. 


    Okay — sorry about the horse thing. It's just that there's widespread misunderstanding about QR codes out there and that misinformation often makes it difficult to get to any related issue or solution, so I tend to, er, flog it a bit. (You also keep mentioning it in context of the problem.) But okay, we're on the same page of Horse Monthly there.

     

    That this should be a very simple process puzzles me. That there are very few reasons a link would go sideways as you describe it is even more puzzling — the three options are usually Works, Doesn't Work, or Works Badly (usually because of a badly translated character in the string, or something). Going to some random third site is... not normally seen.

     

    That the sample file had no URL link assigned to any part of that upper corner structure is another puzzle. Not sure if it got deleted in creating a shorter file, or if there's something simple being overlooked here. I'd take apart that sorta-complicated graphics structure, leave it all ungrouped, make sure the QR code frame is on top, and make sure the URL shows as being validly assigned to the graphics frame. Or, even, delete the darned QR code just to make sure there's no phantom linkage involved. Put in a picture of your cat or dog or iguana instead and attach the link to that.

     

    Can't think of any other approaches to try. 😛

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