October 12, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026
Static vs dynamic QR codes: why you can't track the one you already printed
“Can you track the QR code we already printed?” is the question we hear most. The honest answer depends on one thing: whether the code is static or dynamic. Most printed codes are static, and those can’t be tracked at all.
Static: the destination is the code
A static QR code is just your link, drawn as a pattern. If it encodes https://yourshop.in/offer, then a phone camera reads that exact address and opens it directly. Nothing in between ever hears about it. That has two consequences:
- It can’t be measured. The scan goes from the phone straight to your page. No server of ours, or anyone’s, sees it happen.
- It can’t be changed. If the offer page moves or the offer ends, the printed code still points at the old address, forever.
Free QR generators almost all make static codes. They’re fine for something permanent that never needs numbers, like a Wi-Fi password on a café wall.
Dynamic: the code points at a short link that you control
A dynamic code encodes a short link instead, such as …/q/abcd2345. When someone scans it, that short link opens first, the scan is recorded, and the phone is then sent on to the real destination. Because the destination lives behind the short link, two things become possible:
- Measuring. Every scan passes through a place that can count it. That’s how Mitr’s QR campaigns know how many people scanned, when and on what kind of phone, without any cookies (how that works).
- Changing your mind. The short link on the paper never changes, but where it leads can. Swap a form for a WhatsApp chat, or point last month’s poster at this month’s offer, without reprinting.
There’s a trade: a dynamic code depends on its short link continuing to work. With Mitr it keeps working for as long as the campaign is active. If you delete a code or archive a campaign, scanners are sent to a neutral page instead of an error, and your scan and lead history is kept.
What if it’s already printed?
| Your situation | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Static code, link goes to a page you control | Only if the printed link already carries tags, such as ?utm_source=flyer-station, can you read visits per source in your website analytics. That tells you visits, not scans. For the next print run, tag the link first |
| Static code, no tags | Nothing to measure. The practical fix is to reprint, or put a new sticker over the old code on posters and shopfronts |
| Dynamic code from another QR service | Edit its destination to point at your Mitr short link. Scans then pass through Mitr first. This only works while the old service’s subscription stays active, because it keeps the old short link alive. Nothing from before the switch carries over |
We’d rather be plain about it than promise tracking we can’t deliver: if the code is static and untagged, the numbers you want were never recorded.
Printing one that works
Whether static or dynamic, most “my QR code doesn’t scan” problems are print problems:
- Size. Aim for at least 2 × 2 cm for something held at arm’s length, and bigger for anything read from further away. A rough rule is one unit of width for every ten units of distance.
- Quiet zone. Leave a clear blank border around the code, about four squares wide. Text or a photo crowding the edge breaks it.
- Contrast. Dark code on a light background. Inverted or low-contrast colours scan unreliably on older phones.
- A logo in the middle is fine if the code was made with enough error correction. Mitr raises it automatically when a logo is present.
- Use the vector file. Download the SVG for a printer. A PNG that’s been scaled up will blur at the edges.
- Test the real thing. Print it at final size and scan it with a cheap phone in the lighting where it’ll hang, before you print five hundred.
If you’re about to print, make the code in Mitr first. It’s the one step you can’t fix afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Can you track a static QR code?
No. A static QR code contains the destination itself, so the phone goes straight there and nothing you control sees the scan. The only exception is a destination link that already carries tags, which your website analytics can then read as visits.
Can I change where a printed QR code points?
Only if it is a dynamic code. A dynamic code contains a short link that you control, so you can change the destination without reprinting. A static code can never be changed.
Do dynamic QR codes expire?
A dynamic code works for as long as the service behind its short link keeps running it. With Mitr a code keeps working while its campaign is active. If you delete a code or archive a campaign, scanners are sent to a neutral page instead of an error.
What size should a printed QR code be?
At least 2 by 2 cm for something held at arm's length, and larger for anything read from further away. Leave a clear border of about four squares, print dark on light, and test the real printout with a phone before printing in bulk.