How to data merge QR codes for print

In this blog, we’ll explore the significance of QR codes for hospitality venues and provide a detailed guide on designing QR code signs, and how to bulk data merge QR codes for print using Adobe InDesign. We’ll explain how to prepare artwork suitable for printing on acrylic signs, designed to be displayed on table tops for optimal visibility and ease of use.

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Why you need acrylic QR code discs in your business

Acrylic QR code ordering discs offer a smart, modern way to streamline service, improve customer experience, and boost efficiency. By letting customers scan and order via their smartphones, these durable, sleek discs reduce wait times, minimize staff interruptions, and cut down on order errors.

They deliver a professional, branded look for both indoor and outdoor use while providing valuable customer data and menu insights. Digital menus accessed through QR codes support contactless, multilingual service, real-time updates, upselling, loyalty programs, and targeted promotions — making them a practical, stylish asset for any business.

Before implementing QR code discs, it’s important to clarify your primary goal. A QR code can lead customers to any online destination: a digital menu, Google reviews, loyalty sign-ups, special offers, or your website. Defining this purpose helps shape the disc’s design, call-to-action, and user experience to align with your brand and business objectives. Find All of the reasons you need printed acrylic QRcodes in full detail by clicking here.

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Designing the base artwork for the acrylic QR code discs

Once you’ve determined the primary purpose of your QR code — whether it’s to facilitate self-ordering, collect customer reviews, encourage membership sign-ups, or direct visitors to your website — you can begin crafting the base artwork for your acrylic discs. The design should be clean, visually appealing, and aligned with your brand’s identity, while remaining functional and easy for customers to use.

Key elements to consider include:

• QR Code Placement: Ensure the QR code is prominently positioned, unobstructed, and easily scannable from a standard smartphone distance.
• Clear Call-to-Action: Use concise, action-driven wording near the QR code (e.g. “Scan to Order”, “Leave Us a Review”, or “Join Our Rewards Program”) to guide customer interaction.
• Branding Elements: Incorporate your logo, brand colors, typography, and any relevant graphic elements to maintain consistency across your customer touchpoints.
• Material Consideration: Since acrylic discs are durable and often placed in high-traffic or outdoor areas, choose colors, finishes, and printing techniques that ensure visibility and longevity.
• Size and Shape: Design the artwork according to the specific size and shape of your acrylic disc to ensure balanced spacing, proper QR code sizing, and aesthetic harmony.

A well-designed base artwork not only enhances the customer’s experience but also strengthens brand recognition and maximizes the impact of your QR code’s intended function.

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Size, bleed and cut paths in your artwork

At Inknition, our standard acrylic QR code discs are 90mm in diameter. Set your document to 90mm x 90mm and create a 90mm circle using a 100% magenta custom spot colour labelled “Cut Path.” Keep all key design elements — text, logos, and the QR code — within this circle.

For best results, add an 80mm safety margin inside the 90mm circle to ensure important content isn’t too close to the edge. Include a 3mm bleed around the 90mm circle to avoid unprinted edges when cutting. When saving your PDF, make sure this bleed is included.

Refer to the example artwork below for a visual guide, and check out our video tutorial for more on adding cut paths.

Refere to the example artwork below for a visual guide, and check out our video tutorial for more on adding cut paths.

Font size & visual hierarchy considerations

Before we can look at how to data merge QR codes for print, we need to look at the base design. When designing QR code signs, it’s essential to prioritise clarity and visibility. Given that QR code discs are typically produced in a standard size of 90mm in diameter — compact enough to remain unobtrusive on tabletops, particularly in hospitality settings — all text elements should be kept minimal, bold, and highly legible. Avoid using small fonts. Opt instead for large, clear, and impactful typography that conveys your message instantly. A bold, simple call-to-action such as “SCAN TO ORDER” is ideal, ensuring customers immediately understand the purpose of the disc.

If additional details such as table numbers are required, these can certainly be incorporated, but should also be displayed in a size and style that remains highly visible and easy to read at a glance. Most importantly, the QR code itself must remain the focal point of the design. Ensure it is prominently sized and centrally positioned so it is instantly recognisable and intuitively prompts customers to scan. The overall goal is to maintain a clean, functional design where both the QR code and primary call-to-action work together seamlessly to deliver an effortless customer experience. You can also watch our video below on how to change the colour of your data merged QR codes, and keep them the correct colour after the merge is completed, and not have them change back to default black.

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The most important part of the design – the QR code!

Creating a QR code is a straightforward process with the tools available today. There are numerous online QR code generators that are simple to use, and many professional design programs — such as Adobe InDesign — also feature built-in QR code generation tools. Once your QR code has been created, you can typically customise its appearance by adjusting colours, adding logos, or refining the design. The final QR code can then be saved in a suitable format, such as PNG or JPG, and seamlessly incorporated into your artwork.

This method works perfectly when you only require a single, generic QR code. However, in scenarios where you need multiple unique QR codes — for example, if you have 80 tables in a hospitality venue, each requiring its own individual code — manually generating, customising, and placing each code into your design file can become time-consuming and inefficient. In these cases, it’s worth exploring how to data merge QR codes for print, using bulk QR code generation tools to streamline the process and save valuable production time.

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Why would a hospitality business require bulk QR code generation?

In a hospitality environment such as a restaurant, café, bar, or hotel, it’s often necessary to generate multiple unique QR codes — typically one for each table, room, or service area. The primary reason for this is to track and manage individual customer interactions based on location within the venue.

For example, when offering self-ordering via QR codes, assigning a unique code to each table ensures that orders are accurately linked to the correct location, reducing the risk of mix-ups and improving operational efficiency. Similarly, if using QR codes for table-specific promotions, guest feedback, or loyalty sign-ups, unique codes allow businesses to monitor engagement by table or section, providing valuable insights into customer behaviour and preferences.

Additionally, unique QR codes can help optimise service workflows, as staff can easily identify where orders originated or which table a specific review or request relates to. In larger venues or high-volume operations, bulk QR code generation saves significant time compared to creating and placing codes individually, ensuring a smooth, scalable implementation of digital services throughout the establishment.

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How to data merge QR codes for print onto your artwork in a bulk capacity

If you need multiple unique QR codes linking to different landing pages, this is where data merging makes life easy. What could take hours can be done in seconds.

Start by collecting all your unique URLs — typically created by a web developer or platforms like Bite HQ — by adding a parameter to a base URL to identify tables or locations.

Example:
Base URL: www.yourrestaurant.com/order
Table 1: www.yourrestaurant.com/order?table=1
Table 2: www.yourrestaurant.com/order?table=2

When scanned, the system reads the parameter (like table=1) and assigns the order accordingly — a feature most digital ordering systems support.

Once you have your URLs, list them in a single Excel column with the header #QR code in cell A1, then save the file as a CSV. That’s it — you’re ready to data merge!

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Time to data merge QR codes in Indesign/how to data merge QR codes for print

Once your base artwork (excluding the QR code) has been created in Adobe InDesign, the next step is to set up a Master Page incorporating this design. The data merge process will be executed on this Master Page. Begin by drawing a white rectangular placeholder in the position where you would like each QR code to appear.

Next, navigate to Window > Utilities > Data Merge to open the Data Merge panel. From the panel’s dropdown menu, select ‘Select Data Source’, then browse to and select the CSV file you previously prepared, containing your list of unique URL addresses.

You will notice the data field name (e.g. QR_Code_URL) now appears within the Data Merge panel. Enable Preview to see InDesign automatically generate QR codes in your designated placeholder box, dynamically pulling each URL from your CSV file. You can select, reposition, and resize the QR code within the layout to ensure it aligns perfectly with your base artwork.

Once satisfied with the placement, return to the Data Merge panel’s dropdown menu and select ‘Create Merged Document’. InDesign will instantly perform a bulk merge, generating a multi-page document with a unique QR code on each page — each one linked to the corresponding URL from your CSV data. One thing you will note, is that the default colour generated for the QR code itself, is black, and it will continue to default back to black even if yo change it to a different colour in the colour palate. We have discovered a brilliant workaround to change colour of your data merged QR codes, and it is included in the below video tutorial in greater detail.

Save as a multiple page PDF.

A process that would have previously taken hours to complete manually can now be efficiently accomplished in a matter of minutes, dramatically improving workflow efficiency for projects requiring multiple unique QR codes.

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Video tutorial on how to data merge QR codes for print

We invite you to watch this step-by-step video tutorial, which guides you through the process of setting up your design and performing a bulk data merge to apply unique QR codes onto 90mm acrylic ordering discs for your hospitality venue. The video also demonstrates how to change colour of your data merged QR codes, allowing you to replace the default black with any colour of your choice — an especially valuable feature when working with hundreds of QR codes that need to align with your brand’s colour palette, particularly when the data merge feature as standard always wants to revert back to default black.

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What is next?

You have now worked out how to data merge QR codes for acrylic signs! Now onto the easiest part of the entire process! simply go to Inknitions acrylic QR code ordering page, and place your order, select your specs, upload your artwork, then we will take care of the rest! Of course, if you have any questions or queries about this product, or your artwork setup, please contact us at info@inknition.com.au and we will reply as a matter of urgency.