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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

    Thank you for looking into it.

    I already tried doing both and still experienced the same issue for this file and others. I also tried making an entirely new re-design with fresh links and a QR code image/link and still ran into the issue. 

    It's like the template's QR Code link has somehow embedded itself.   


    quote

    It's like the template's QR Code link has somehow embedded itself.

     

    Not to keep pounding on a dead equine, but — there is no connection between the QR code at any level (ID profile as used by the editor, generated graphic code, contaniner, anything) and any clickable link you might assign to it in the layout. None. For export to PDF, it's just a a graphic image. And the only unusual thing inside the layout is that ID retains the data separately for editing and update — but does so in such a convoluted way it's brought strong Experts here to tears. 🙂

     

    The problem with the click link is entirely a fault of how and where it's assigned in the overall document structure — mostly, to what element, and things like content/frame, and grouping, and the like can all play a part. But not that the object is a QR code graphic.

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