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“It's so easy to use.”

“The thing that I like most about the Beaconstac platform is that it's so easy to use. You have a lot of QR Code functionalities at your fingertips to do things yourself—right then and there.”

The highest-rated
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Create your own PDF QR Code in 3 easy steps.

Password-protection

Gate PDF QRs that contain sensitive info with a password.

Analytics

Track who scans your PDF QRs and extract relevant insights.

Multilingual

Reach multi-lingual audiences with a single PDF QR.

Turn PDFs into QR Codes-quick and easy.

Restaurant menu to QR Code

Share your restaurant menu as a digital and contactless menu with QR Codes. Customize your QR design in keeping with your brand logo and colors.

CREATE A PDF QR MENU

Share a PDF user manual as a QR Code

Link to PDF user manuals straight from your product itself.

CREATE A PDF QR USER MANUAL

Link a password-protected QR Code to your documents

Share documents as PDF QR Codes on your product packaging or other physical touchpoints. Gate them with password protection.

CREATE A PDF QR FOR YOUR DOCS

What is a QR Code PDF?

A QR Code PDF or a PDF QR Code is a QR Code type that opens a PDF when scanned by a user. With an online PDF QR Code generator like Beaconstac, your PDFs can be easily converted into QR Codes.

Use a PDF QR Code to share important info, sales/marketing/events collateral, restaurant menus, sensitive documents, and more.

How to convert a PDF to a QR Code

Turning a PDF into a QR Code does not require any coding knowledge or any technical know-how of complex tools. You can either create a PDF QR Code by pasting an online link where it’s hosted or simply upload a PDF and turn it into a QR Code.

Here are 3 ways in which you can convert a PDF to a QR Code:

Method 1: Upload a PDF and convert it to a QR Code.

Method 2: Turn an online-hosted PDF into a QR Code, either

Method 3: Automate the PDF QR creation process (helpful when for making PDF QRs in bulk) completely by

You will need a custom QR Code Generator for PDFs to create your PDF QRs.

Choosing the right QR Code generator can be difficult here—especially when you’re starting out. Do check out our best QR Code generator guide to know which features to look out for in any QR Code solution!

If you need to create PDF QR Codes for your app or website, you should consider a QR Code Generator API that you can easily integrate with a couple of steps.

Let’s dive into the methods that we’ve outlined above:

#Method 1: Upload a PDF and convert it to a QR Code

STEP 1: Go to the QR Code Generator of your choice.

Create QR Code

STEP 2: Choose the PDF QR Code option.

PDF QR Code

STEP 3: In the ‘Setup’ section, upload your PDF.

Convert PDF to QR Code

STEP 4: Customize the design of the QR Code based on your brand logo and colors.

QR Code customization

STEP 5: Download the QR Code in your preferred format, and test out the QR Code a few times before you deploy.

Generate QR Code and download

Here, we’re using dynamic PDF QR codes and not static ones. A dynamic QR Code can be edited on the backend after creation, whereas static QR Codes, once generated, cannot be edited in any way. This refers to the final digital destination (in this case a PDF file) that the QR Code links to.

Say you print out your PDF QR Codes on any material. With a dynamic PDF QR Code, you can update the PDF file in case there are any changes in the content of the PDF attached to the code. Simply re-upload the new PDF on the backend through your QR Code platform!

Learn more by reading our content on dynamic QR Codes and dynamic QR Code generators.

You might also like: The difference between static and dynamic QR Codes.

PDF QR Codes: Try these out!

Try new use-cases out - and convey the main ones clearly through the image designs.
PDF QR Code for events PDF QR Code for product details
QR Code for PDF of book PDF QR Code for lease documents
QR Code for Calendar PDF PDF QR Code for song lyrics

#Method 2: Turn an online-hosted PDF into a QR Code

Let’s look at the two of the three scenarios we’ve discussed above:

(i) Create a PDF QR Code from a Google Drive link

Your Google Drive PDF files can now be shared with a single QR Code. Here’s a simple, step-wise guide on how to do this.

STEP 1: Open the Google Drive PDF file you want to share as a QR Code.

Open your PDF on Google Drive

STEP 2: Click on the three-dot ellipsis on the top right corner and select “Share’.

Click on Share

STEP 3: Choose the type of access you want to give others—edit, comment, or view.

Choose the type of access

STEP 4: Click on ‘Get Shareable Link’ and choose a link-sharing option based on your preference.

Click on ‘Get Shareable Link’

STEP 5: Copy the link.

STEP 6: Go to the QR Code Generator of your choice.

Open QR Code Generator

STEP 7: Choose the PDF QR Code option.

Choose the PDF QR Code option

STEP 8: In the ‘Setup’ section, upload your PDF.

Upload your pdf

STEP 9: Customize the design of the QR Code based on your brand logo and colors.

Customize the design

STEP 10: Download the QR Code in your preferred format, and test out the QR Code a few times before you deploy.

Download the QR Code

(ii) Create a PDF QR Code from a normal online link

STEP 1: Open up the URL of the online PDF file.

Create QR Code

The steps that follow will be the same as above:

STEP 2: Copy the link.

STEP 3: Go to the QR Code Generator of your choice.

QR Code Generator

STEP 4: Choose the PDF QR Code option.

Choose the PDF QR Code

STEP 5: In the ‘Setup’ section, upload your PDF.

upload your PDF

STEP 6: Customize the design of the QR Code based on your brand logo and colors.

Customize the design of the QR Code

STEP 7: Download the QR Code in your preferred format, and test out the QR Code a few times before you deploy.

QR Code download
Create and Manage Pdf Qr Codes easily

#Method 3: Automate the creation of PDF QR Codes entirely

With the help of third-party integration tools like Zapier and Make, you can integrate your QR Code generator with other useful tools that can help you create PDF QR Codes hassle-free. This largely eliminates manual effort and streamlines team activities effectively!

Let’s have a look at a few examples:

(i) Integrate Google Sheets with Beaconstac

Say you use a Google Sheet to keep track of all the PDFs you wish to share—be it marketing collateral, documents, instruction manuals that go on physical products, and so on. Did you know that for every new spreadsheet row added to Google Sheets, you can generate a PDF QR Code with QR Code integrations? Beaonstac allows you to do this easily!

Here’s how it works:

  1. STEP 1: Create a new spreadsheet on Google Sheets

    Firstly. you need to create a spreadsheet that contains details such as the QR Code campaign name and URLs of your PDF files. This data is required to create a PDF QR Code in Beaconstac.

  2. STEP 2: Log in to your Zapier account and click on ‘+Create Zap’.

  3. STEP 3: Set up your trigger event:

    1. Choose App as Google Sheets and Event as New Spreadsheet Row.
    2. Choose Account - Sign in to your Google Sheets account.
    3. Set up trigger - Choose the spreadsheet and worksheet that contains the data required to create your PDF QR Code.
    4. Test trigger.
  4. STEP 4: Set up your action event:

    1. Choose App and Event - Beaconstac and Create a Dynamic QR Code.
    2. Choose Account - Sign in to your Beaconstac account.
    3. Set up action - Enter QR Code Name, Design, Campaign Type (PDF), PDF URL.
    4. Test action.
  5. STEP 5: Turn your Zap on

    This is the most crucial step since it activates your integration.

And you’re done—every time you upload your PDF onto your Google Sheet row, a new PDF QR Code will be automatically generated! No coding involved.

With Beaconstac you can also have your custom-branded QR Code designs be applied to each QR Code that is generated through the above process.

You might also like: How to create bulk QR Codes using Google Sheets

(ii) Integrate Google Drive with Beaconstac

Say you use a Google Sheet to keep track of all the PDFs you wish to share—be it marketing collateral, documents, instruction manuals that go on physical products, and so on.

Did you know that for every new spreadsheet row added to Google Sheets, you can generate a PDF QR Code with QR Code integrations? Beaonstac allows you to do this easily!

Here’s how it works:

  1. STEP 1: Create a folder on Google Drive

  2. STEP 2: Log in to your Zapier account and click ‘+Create Zap’

  3. STEP 3: Set up your trigger event:

    1. Choose App and Event - Google Drive and New File in Folder
    2. Choose Account - Sign in to your Google Drive account
    3. Set up trigger - Choose the drive and specific folder you want to use
    4. Test trigger
  4. STEP 4: Set up your action event:

    1. Choose App and Event - Beaconstac and Create Dynamic QR Code
    2. Choose Account - Sign in to your Beaconstac account
    3. Set up action - Enter QR Code Name, Design, Campaign Type (PDF), PDF URL
    4. Test action
  5. STEP 5: Turn your Zap on

    Turn on your Zap to activate the integration.

Note: This workflow also works if you want to integrate OneDrive (or any other storage tool!) with Beaconstac using Zapier.

Automate PDF QR creation with Beaconstac

Custom-brand your PDF QRs by customizing the QR Code design

You can add your brand colors to PDF QR Codes, add your logo, and set custom eyes, gradient patterns, and frame texts.

Fully customize the QR Code design to reflect your brand identity! This is crucial—you want your PDF QR Codes to be distinct and representative of your brand

Want to dive in-depth into how you can design customized QR Codes? Read our comprehensive guide on the same.

Change the shape and color of the eyeball of your PDF QR Code

Click on the shape of the eyeball that you want and enter the hex code of the color or choose one from the color palette.

Custom eyes PDF QR Code

Change the shape and color of the eye-frame of the PDF QR Code

Just like how we’d seen with the eye-ball of the QR Code, you can change shape and color of the eye-frame of the QR Code as well.

Custom eye frame PDF QR Code

Add a logo to the PDF QR Code

You can choose a PDF icon or upload your brand’s logo to the QR Code for custom personalization. You can also make the logo bigger or smaller by using the slider.

PDF QR Code with a logo

Change the pattern and color of the QR Code

Pattern

The pattern of the QR Code contains the data encoded into the QR Code: in this case it’s your PDF and any additional data required for PDF QR Code features you mish to have like password-protection or multilingual PDFs. The black and white squares of the QR Code needn’t be so plain and can be turned into different shapes and colors!

Color

You can make the QR Code a monochromatic PDF QR Code or use a color gradient (radial, horizontal or vertical).

Colorful PDF QR Code with a pattern

Add a frame text to the PDF QR Code

Select a QR Code frame, change its color to suit your QR Code design, and add actional frame text to prompt users to scan the QR Code and view the PDF file.

Colorful PDF QR Code with a frame text

Save your custom-branded design template for your PDF QRs

After you’re done customizing different elements of the QR Codes—as we’ve seen in the sections above—you can now save your design as a template to use later.

To do this, simply customize the design to your liking and finish creating your QR Code as though you were creating just one. In the final step of the PDF QR creation process—just go to ‘Advanced Settings’ and click on ‘Save As Template’ to reuse the design template on other QR Codes you create.

Save your custom-branded design template for your PDF QR Code

Customize the background of the PDF QR with custom colors or background images

Add a solid color behind your PDF QR Code design or a custom background image. When you’re doing this—be careful to not go overboard with poor color contrasts in your QR Code design—they might end up being unscannable!

However—with Beaconstac—you needn’t worry about this. We have a built-in scannability reader that tells you, in real-time, if your QR Code design lends itself to being scannable or not!

Customize the background of the PDF QR Code Customize  PDF QR with Beaconstac

How to edit a PDF QR Code

Wish to edit your PDF QR Code on the backend after it’s deployed? Do this easily with a dynamic PDF QR code.

Once your PDF QR Code is created, you can always go back to the dashboard to either re-upload a new PDF or change the link and point to a new PDF.

To do this, you need to use a dynamic QR Code, which lets you redirect the existing QR Code to a new PDF without having to recreate it.

STEP 1: Find the PDF QR Code that you created

STEP 2: Click on Edit

STEP 3: Click on PDF QR Code

STEP 4: You can either upload a new PDF or point to a PDF link

STEP 5: Save your changes

Edit the PDF QR Code

Multilingual PDF QR Codes

Create PDF QRs that show your PDF in your audience’s preferred language! If you have a global, multi-lingual audience and wish to market, share important info or documents with them through PDF QR Codes, you can do so easily with Beaconstac.

Use our multilingual support feature to let users view your PDFs in their preferred languages when they scan your PDF QRS!

All you need to do is upload translated versions of your PDF files along with the default one. When users scan the QR Code, based on the user’s default language setting on their mobile device, they’ll be directed to the corresponding translated PDF in their language.

Learn more about multilingual QR Codes.

Multilingual PDF QR Codes

Can you have one QR Code for multiple PDF documents?

Absolutely. If you wish to provide users with more than one PDF document, you can do so with a landing page QR Code.

With the help of Beaconstac’s platform, you can create a landing page that includes links to multiple PDF documents.

Whether it's a free e-book, a product catalog, or an instructions manual, you can generate one QR Code that provides links to each of them.

Depending on the user’s choice, they can click on the relevant link and view the PDF on their smartphone with ease.

Here’s how you can create a landing page QR Code for multiple PDF documents:

Build your landing page for multiple QR Code PDFs

  1. Log in to the Beaconstac dashboard.
  2. Go to Campaigns > Landing pages.
  3. Click on +Create to build a new landing page.
  4. Create your landing page from scratch or choose one of the ready-to-use templates
  5. Add your content to the landing page editor and design it.
  6. Give a name to your landing page and save it.

Create a landing page QR Code for PDFs

  1. Go to QR Codes and click on +Create QR Code.
  2. Select Landing Page as the campaign type.
  3. Select your landing page from the list and click Next.
  4. Customize your QR Code.
  5. Download it in any of the 5 available formats - PNG, JPG, SVG, EPS, and PDF.
Can you have one QR Code for multiple single PDF documents?

How can I convert my PDF into a password-protected QR Code?

Password-protected QR Codes are essential for securing PDF files that contain private information. Only those who are authorized and know the password can view the PDF upon scanning.
Here’s how it works:

Creating a QR Code for a PDF with password protection

  1. Log in to the Beaconstac dashboard.
  2. Go to QR Codes and click on +Create QR Code.
  3. Select PDF as the campaign type.
  4. Set up your QR Code PDF and customize it.
  5. Scroll down and click on Show advanced settings.
  6. Click on the Password protection toggle.
  7. Set the password for your QR Code PDF and click Next.
  8. Download the QR Code.

Now, once a user scans the PDF QR Code, they’ll need to enter the password to view the PDF file on their smartphone.

How can I convert my PDF into a password-protected QR Code?

Challenges with sharing your PDFs—be it marketing material, docs, or restaurant menus—with URLs

The straightforward approach to delivering online documents is to include a short URL on sales receipts, product packaging, or posters.

However, the challenge with this approach is that it works only if users remember to visit the URL.

Even if they do remember, it takes a lot of manual effort for a user to type in lengthy URLs. Even if they have been shortened through a link-shortening tool, users think of it as an inconvenience.

PROs of using a PDF QR Code

Where can you use PDF QR Codes?

Organizations that use PDF QR Codes

  1. CBIC

    Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, India is replacing paper copies of Bill of Entry and Shipping Bills that are usually a PDF with QR Codes that will allow authentication directly.

  2. UIDAI

    Indian Citizens can save their Aadhaar card as a QR Code instead of carrying the physical card or the PDF document. This QR Code contains all the information of the PDF.

  3. West Egg Cafe

    The West Egg Cafe in Atlanta uses PDF QR Codes to display its menu. This is done to ensure a safe and contactless ordering system.

How to share a PDF QR Code: A few tips

Now that you’ve created your PDF QR Code, here are a few tips on how to share it.

1. Share it over email: Instead of having to download a PDF, users can simply scan the QR Code on their smartphone for on-the-go applications.

Learn more: How to use QR Codes in email marketing

2. Place it on documentation: You can place a PDF QR Code on hard copies of important documents to let users have a soft copy of the same.

3. Add it to study guides: Teachers can add PDF QR Codes to notes that they share with the class to give their students some online resources to understand the course better.

4. Place it on tickets: Instead of having a cluttered design, you can add a PDF QR Code that will let attendees know more about the event - schedule, timings, and headliners. If anything changes, you can edit the PDF QR Code and updated information will be available to all ticket holders.

Check out: Event QR Codes

5. Use it on social media: Utilize PDF QR Codes for social media marketing. Promote your brand’s latest ebook, catalog, or manual using a PDF QR Code on your social media posts online. Customers scrolling through can scan the QR Code and access the PDF instantly.

You might also like: How to create & use an all-in-one social media QR Code

6. Add it to receipts: Employ PDF QR Codes on receipts to share valuable information such as your brand’s product catalogs, detailed guides on product usage, and more to increase customer delight.

Best practices to follow when creating & using PDF QR Codes

Frequently Asked Questions for PDF QR Codes

Can I make a QR Code for a PDF file?

Yes, you can make a QR Code for a PDF. Either save the file online and grab the link or upload the PDF to the PDF QR Code Generator and turn your PDF into a QR Code.

How do I scan a QR Code to open a PDF file?

Depending on your OS, QR Code scanning will work differently but generally speaking, QR Code scanning happens through the smartphone’s camera app. Open your camera and point it at the QR Code to start scanning. If you have an iOS device, pull up the Control Center to use the QR Code Reader, or use the native camera.

How to turn a picture into a QR code?

You can save the picture as a PDF and upload or host it online. Then use a good PDF to QR Code converter to create your QR Code. Customize it as needed and download it in the required format. When you scan the QR Code, you will see the picture.

How to turn a file into a QR Code?

Upload a file and generate a QR Code using a QR Code platform. Make sure to test its scannability before printing it. With just a few clicks, you can seamlessly turn a file into a QR Code to share it with the relevant stakeholders.

How do I add a QR Code to a PDF?

To add a QR Code to your PDF, save it as an image - PNG or JPG format and upload it to your PDF. You can also download it in SVG format if you want to add more elements to the QR Code later.

How to create a QR Code for PDF free?

Sign up for the trial and create your PDF QR Codes for free. Since PDF QR Codes are dynamic, they will expire after the 14 day trial.

How to make a QR Code for a word document?

1. Log in to the Beaconstac dashboard.

2. Click ‘+Create QR Code’.

3. Select PDF from the list of campaign types.

4. Upload your word document or paste a link from Google Drive.

5. Customize your QR Code.

6. Test to see if it works.

7. Download the PDF QR Code.

Yes, you can. You can either upload a PDF file or paste a link to it on the QR Code generator. This is how you can link a QR Code to a PDF.

How to read a QR Code from a PDF?

Open your smartphone’s camera app and point it at the QR Code to scan it from the PDF file. If your phone does not support native QR Code scanning, you can download a QR scanner app to read the QR Code.

Check out: The best QR Code scanner apps

How to generate a QR Code, embed it on a PDF, and email it to a customer?

1. Go to Beaconstac’s QR Code generator.

2. Select a QR Code type and fill in the required fields.

3. Customize your QR Code, generate, and download it.

4. Print your QR Code (we recommend the PNG format for small-sized print media) and add it to your PDF.

5. Attach your PDF file to your email and click Send.

Generate Free QR Code now