A location QR code opens directions to a place when scanned, rather than making someone type an address. It is most useful when the person scanning is not the person who saved the place \u2014 a guest reading a wedding invitation, a visitor holding a ticket, or a customer looking at a shop window. This tool builds the code and a printable card in one step, and runs entirely in your browser.
Where a location code earns its place
Saving a place for yourself is something Google Maps already does better than any QR code. A location code becomes useful at the point where the person scanning is not the person who saved it — where the address has to travel on something printed.
- Wedding and party invitations — guests scan for directions instead of typing a venue address, and it works on the day when they are already out of the house.
- Event tickets and wristbands — directions to the venue, and to the right entrance.
- Property particulars and viewing boards — a buyer standing outside can navigate to the next viewing.
- Shop windows and A-boards — particularly for premises that are hard to find, upstairs, or round the back.
- Business cards and vehicle livery — a “find us” code that opens directions rather than showing an address to be typed.
- Markets, festivals and pop-ups — temporary pitches with no permanent listing anywhere.
Address or Maps link: which makes a better code?
Both work, but they produce very different codes. A plain address builds a short directions URL, which encodes into a sparse pattern that prints small and scans easily. A copied Google Maps place link can run to well over a hundred characters, which produces a visibly dense code needing a larger print size to stay readable.
If the code is going somewhere tight — the corner of an invitation, a business card — use the address. If you need a specific pin that an address search would not find exactly, such as an entrance round the back or a field with no postcode, use the Maps link and print it larger.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Google Maps API key?
No. The code is built from a standard Google Maps directions URL, which needs no API key and no account. Nothing is looked up on our servers.
Can I paste a Google Maps link?
Yes. Paste a link copied from Google Maps and it will be used directly. If it is a full maps.google.com link the place name is picked out automatically; short goo.gl links cannot be read in the browser, so type the name yourself.
What happens when someone scans it?
Their phone opens Google Maps with directions to that place from wherever they are. On a phone with no Maps app it opens in the browser instead.
Why is my code so dense?
Google Maps place URLs are often very long, and every character adds modules. Using the address rather than a copied place URL usually produces a much cleaner code. If you need a small printed code with a long destination, a dynamic code solves it \u2014 it stores a short redirect instead.
What size should I print the card?
The card is sized so the code stays scannable at normal reading distance. If you scale it down, keep the code itself at 2cm or more, and check it before a full print run.
Need to create a QR code?
Dynamic codes you can edit after printing, with scan tracking. Free to start.
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