Product Catalog QR Code Generator
Upload one product catalog PDF to QRLynx and save a managed Catalog QR code. The printed QR opens the hosted document through a QRLynx link, so you can replace the PDF without reprinting and measure eligible scans without calling them product views or sales.
Selected QR Code Type
QR Type Guide
How Should You Use Product Catalog QR Codes?
This QR type uses a managed QRLynx link because its saved content or file cannot be embedded directly in a static QR. You can update the saved project without replacing the printed code and measure eligible scans.
Best For
Saved content or files that need a stable printed code, account-managed updates, and eligible scan analytics.
Not Best For
Cases where another QR type is more specific, such as PDF for files, vCard for contact saving, WiFi for network access, or menu QR for restaurant menus.
Before Printing
Test the final QR at real size, confirm the quiet zone, and use the size calculator when the code will appear on signs, packaging, menus, cards, or other printed material.
The catalog PDF is hosted, not stored inside the QR pattern
QRLynx Catalog accepts one PDF upload and creates a managed QR link. The QR image contains a QRLynx redirect URL, while the catalog file is stored separately and served as a document. This is why Catalog requires an account and dynamic capacity rather than offering a static mode.
When a saved catalog changes, replace its PDF in QRLynx. The same managed QR can then open the replacement file. Existing printed copies continue to use the same QR pattern, but the catalog content changes only after the replacement succeeds and the saved destination is updated.
Catalog documents this workflow fits
Full product catalog
Share a browsable PDF covering a complete range when one document is the useful destination.
Price list
Publish current prices in a replaceable PDF and state the currency, effective date, and applicable terms inside the document.
New arrivals or seasonal line
Give each time-bound collection a clear issue date, then replace or retire the file when that edition changes.
Category catalog
Use a focused PDF for one product family when a complete catalog would make mobile navigation unnecessarily slow.
Wholesale line sheet
Share B2B product details and use Pro password protection when the entire managed QR destination needs an access gate.
Specification collection
Combine related specifications in one tested PDF, with clear model numbers and links to the current product owner.
How to create and maintain a Catalog QR code in QRLynx
Prepare the document first, then test the complete reader path.
Prepare the exact catalog edition
Export one PDF with current products, identifiers, prices or price terms, contact details, and working links. Add an edition or effective date where the content can become stale.
Check mobile reading and file size
Open the PDF on a phone, test navigation and links, and reduce unnecessary file size while preserving readable text and images. Adobe recommends balancing compression with document quality.
Upload with the Catalog QR type
Sign in, select Product Catalog, and upload the PDF. QRLynx validates the PDF and applies the source-upload limit for the data owner's plan.
Save the managed QR
Customize the QR image, then save it so QRLynx can create the managed redirect and secure document reference. Catalog has no static mode.
Download for the placement
Use an included raster format on the free Starter plan, or PDF or SVG QR-image export on Starter+ and higher. The QR-image PDF export is separate from the uploaded catalog PDF.
Acceptance-test and record the edition
Scan the exported image and a final-size proof, verify the direct PDF response, page order, links, prices, and edition, then repeat the same test after every replacement.
Choose the QRLynx journey that matches the catalog
Use Catalog QR when QRLynx should host one uploaded PDF that you can replace after printing. Use Dynamic URL QR when the catalog already lives at one HTTPS address and you want to change that saved destination later. Use Multi Link QR when readers need a QRLynx-hosted hub with several catalog, category, store, or contact destinations.Choose the QRLynx journey that matches the catalog
Catalog owns an uploaded PDF. Other destinations have separate QR types.
| Decision | Catalog QR | Dynamic URL QR | Multi Link QR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary input | One uploaded PDF catalog | One existing HTTPS page | Several destination links |
| Reader opens | Direct catalog PDF | Your external page or store | QRLynx hosted link hub |
| Update after printing | Replace the saved PDF | Change the saved URL | Edit the hub links |
| Checkout | Only through links inside your PDF | Provided by the destination | Provided by linked destinations |
| QRLynx analytics | Eligible managed-link scans | Eligible dynamic redirects | Eligible hosted-page scans |
What QRLynx manages for a catalog PDF
Replace the document
Update the saved catalog with a new PDF while retaining the managed QR pattern already in use.
Serve the PDF directly
The managed destination serves the uploaded PDF rather than adding an advertising page or stamping QRLynx branding onto the document.
Measure eligible scans
Use managed-link analytics to compare QR placements and timing without treating a scan as a product view, order, or sale.
Gate the whole destination
On Pro and higher, password protection can gate access to the managed QR. It does not create separate protected sections inside the PDF.
Design the QR image
Use a readable color contrast, logo, pattern, and frame while preserving the quiet zone and testing the final physical size.
Keep separate editions separate
Create distinct saved Catalog QR codes for regional, seasonal, category, or customer-specific PDFs when each needs its own placement and analytics.
Source upload limits and QR-image exports are different
The PDF you upload is the catalog source. Its maximum size is 5 MB on the free Starter plan, 10 MB on Starter+, 15 MB on Pro, 25 MB on Business, and 50 MB on Enterprise. These are per-file source-upload limits.
The QR image is a separate download. Registered Starter includes PNG, JPG, WEBP, and PNG HD. PDF and SVG QR-image downloads start on Starter+. Exporting the QR image as PDF does not place the catalog inside that file or change the catalog upload limit.
A scan measures the handoff, not product demand
QRLynx can record eligible scans that reach the managed Catalog link. Use that data to compare placements, dates, and campaigns. One catalog QR cannot identify which PDF page, product, price, or embedded link a reader viewed, and it does not report carts, orders, revenue, or physical visits.
If product-level intent matters, use separately owned product or category destinations with their own measured links, or use an external storefront that provides its own page and commerce analytics. Keep the QRLynx scan event and downstream business outcome as separate measurements.
Catalog placements with a clear reader job
Retail display
Label the QR with the catalog edition or category so shoppers know whether it opens specifications, prices, or a complete line.
Wholesale meeting
Share the current B2B line sheet and state the effective date, currency, order terms, and sales contact inside the PDF.
Trade show
Use a proof-tested code on the booth, handout, or sample, then compare scans by placement rather than claiming attendee product interest.
Specification handoff
Give contractors or sales teams one current technical collection with model identifiers and links to the authoritative product source.
Sales collateral
Place the QR on cards, proposals, or leave-behinds when the catalog is the useful next document rather than a generic homepage.
Seasonal collection
Use a dated edition and replace the PDF only when every existing placement should move to the new collection.
Product Catalog QR code questions
What does the QRLynx Catalog QR generator accept?
It accepts one PDF upload through the Product Catalog type. QRLynx stores the document separately and prints a managed redirect URL in the QR image. Use Dynamic URL for an existing web catalog, or Multi Link for several catalog destinations.
Can I create a static Catalog QR code?
No. Catalog is a managed PDF type and requires an account, uploaded document storage, a saved QR record, and a QRLynx link. If your catalog already has a permanent public URL and you want a direct static URL payload, use the URL QR type instead.
Can I replace the catalog without reprinting?
Yes. Replace the PDF attached to the saved Catalog QR, then test the existing managed QR again. The printed pattern stays the same because it contains the QRLynx link, while the separately stored document is replaced.
How large can the catalog PDF be?
The per-file source-upload limit is 5 MB on the free Starter plan, 10 MB on Starter+, 15 MB on Pro, 25 MB on Business, and 50 MB on Enterprise. Compress only as far as the text, product images, and links remain useful on representative phones.
Does the scanner see a QRLynx advertising page?
The normal managed catalog destination serves the customer PDF directly. QRLynx does not stamp branding onto the uploaded document. An intentional access or safety gate can appear when the owner enables one or when a safety condition requires it.
Can I password-protect a wholesale catalog?
Yes, password protection is available on Pro and higher for the managed QR destination. It gates the whole scan path before access. It does not encrypt the PDF itself or create different protected sections for separate customer groups.
Can QRLynx tell which products a reader viewed?
No. QRLynx measures eligible Catalog QR scans, not activity inside the PDF. It does not identify the product page read, embedded link clicked, item ordered, or revenue generated. Use separate measured destinations or downstream analytics when those decisions matter.
Can a catalog PDF include clickable product links?
Yes, if the PDF itself contains working links. Those links and any checkout are controlled by the document and external destination, not by the Catalog QR. Test every important link in the final uploaded file.
How do I manage regional or customer-specific editions?
Create a separate saved Catalog QR for each PDF that needs its own placement, access settings, replacement schedule, and analytics. Give each record a clear name and verify that the printed label matches the intended edition.
How should I test a printed catalog QR?
Scan the exported QR and a final-size proof on representative phones. Confirm the expected PDF opens, the edition and prices are current, text is readable, links work, and any password gate behaves as configured. Repeat after every document replacement.
Related catalog destinations
Use PDF QR code for a general uploaded document, Dynamic URL QR code for an existing online store or category page, and Link in Bio QR code when one hosted page should organize several catalog links.