Create a QR Code Review Card
Quick answer: Pick a template below, choose your review platform and paste your review page link, then check the preview — the QR code is generated live in your browser. Download a single PNG, or a print-ready PDF sheet with several copies laid out with cut guides. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
🚫 Don't offer rewards for reviews: Google, Yelp, and most major platforms prohibit "review gating" - offering a discount or gift specifically in exchange for a review, or only asking happy customers. Thanking customers generally is fine; tying a reward to leaving a review is not.
🔲 Contrast keeps it scannable: Low-contrast QR colours (like light grey on white) often fail to scan under normal lighting - use the built-in checker before printing.
🧪 Always test-scan first: Print one copy and scan it with a couple of different phones before committing to a full batch - printer colour accuracy varies.
💾 Autosave: Your design is saved to this browser only, so refreshing won't lose your work.
1️⃣ Choose a Template
2️⃣ Review Link
For Google, use the short link from "Get more reviews" in your Google Business Profile. For others, paste your shop/page URL directly.
3️⃣ Message & Details
Keep this a general thank-you rather than a reward tied to leaving a review - see the guidance above.
4️⃣ Colours & QR Scannability
5️⃣ Size & Print Layout
🔍 Live Preview
✅ 100% Private: Your card and QR code are rendered with the Canvas API directly in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server — only a draft copy is kept in this browser's local storage so you don't lose your work on refresh.
How to Make a QR Code Review Card
Choose a Template
Pick Classic, Minimal, Bold Star, Kraft, or another style.
Add Your Link
Select your platform and paste your review page URL.
Customize
Edit your message and colours - the checker flags low QR contrast.
Download & Print
Save as PNG, or a print-ready PDF sheet with cut guides.
✨ Why QR Review Cards Work
Asking a customer to "leave us a review" verbally is easy to forget the moment they walk out the door. A QR code on the counter, in the bag, or on the table removes every bit of friction — no typing a shop name into a search bar, no hunting for the right page. They scan, they land, they review.
Independent Retail Shops
A counter-top card catches customers right at the point of checkout, when satisfaction is freshest.
Etsy & Shopify Sellers
Slip a card into shipped packages linking straight to your shop's review page.
Cafés & Restaurants
A table tent by the till or on the table nudges happy diners to leave a Google review.
Salons & Personal Services
Hand a card to a client after their appointment, while the experience is still top of mind.
B&Bs & Guesthouses
Leave a card in the room linking to your TripAdvisor or Google listing.
Market Stalls & Pop-Ups
Print a sticker-sized card for a stall table where space is tight.
🔎 Anatomy of a QR Review Card
📏 Review Card Sizes at a Glance
🚶 The Customer Journey, in Four Steps
Why Use This Review Card Generator?
- Free, No Watermark: Create unlimited cards with no signup and no hidden charges.
- Built-In QR Generation: No separate QR tool needed — the code is generated live from your review link.
- Scannability Checked, Not Just Pretty: A contrast checker warns you before you print a QR code that phones might struggle to read.
- Retail-Specific Sizing: Business card, sticker, table tent, and postcard presets, not generic poster sizes.
- Policy-Aware by Design: Guidance on avoiding review-gating is built into the tool, not buried in a help article.
- Print-Ready Output: 300 DPI PNG and PDF exports, with a multi-copy grid layout and cut guides for A4 sheets.
- 100% Browser-Based: Nothing is uploaded - your card and QR code are drawn locally using the Canvas API.
QR Code Review Cards — A Practical Guide for Shop Owners
Reviews are one of the few marketing assets an independent shop gets almost for free — a happy customer's honest words, publicly visible to the next person deciding whether to walk in. The hard part isn't earning a good experience worth reviewing; it's closing the gap between "that was great" and actually opening Google or Yelp and typing it out. A QR code review card closes that gap by turning a multi-step task into a two-second scan. This guide covers what these cards are, how this generator builds them, and the platform rules worth knowing before you print one.
Why a QR Code Beats "Just Search Us on Google"
Every extra step between "I liked this" and "I left a review" loses people. Asking a customer to remember your exact shop name, open a search app, scroll past a map and photos, and find the review button is several steps too many for most people to bother with once they're back in their car. A QR code removes all of it — the phone's camera recognises the code, shows a single link, and one tap lands directly on the review form.
How This Generator Actually Works
Everything happens client-side: your headline, message, and card design are drawn onto a canvas element using the Canvas API, while the QR code itself is generated in the same browser session using an open-source QR rendering library, based on the review URL you enter. The two are composited together at 300 DPI - the resolution generally expected for clean print output - with a plain-coloured margin automatically kept around the QR code, since QR standards require a clear "quiet zone" border for a scanner to lock onto the pattern reliably. Downloading as PNG exports the canvas directly; downloading as PDF calculates how many copies of your chosen size fit on an A4 sheet and lays them out in a grid with light cut guides using the jsPDF library.
The Part Most QR Card Templates Skip: Review-Gating Rules
This is worth reading properly. Google's guidelines for reviews explicitly prohibit "review gating" - the practice of asking only satisfied customers for reviews, or filtering people based on their experience before directing them to leave one - and also prohibit offering money, discounts, or other incentives in exchange for a review. Yelp's content guidelines take a similarly firm line against incentivized reviews. Several markets have also tightened consumer-protection rules around fake and manipulated reviews in recent years, adding regulatory weight on top of platform policy. None of this means you can't say thank you - a general "thanks for shopping with us" message on the card is fine. What crosses the line is tying any reward specifically to leaving a review, or to leaving a positive one, since platforms can remove the reviews or penalise your listing if this pattern is detected. This tool's footer-message field is deliberately framed around a general thank-you, not an incentive, for exactly this reason.
Getting the Right Link for Each Platform
- Google: Sign in to your Google Business Profile, open the "Get more reviews" section, and copy the short review link it generates - this takes customers straight to the star-rating box.
- Yelp: Copy your business page URL directly from Yelp for Business.
- Facebook: Use your Page's "Reviews" tab URL.
- Etsy: Link to your shop's page - buyers can leave feedback on a specific order from their purchase history once they're signed in.
- TripAdvisor / Trustpilot: Use the "Write a Review" link from your listing's management dashboard if available, or the listing URL itself.
Choosing the Right Size for Where the Card Will Live
| Size | Best For | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 50 x 50 mm Sticker | Packaging, till points, tight spaces | Small enough to stick almost anywhere without crowding other signage |
| 85 x 55 mm Business Card | Counter displays, handed to customers directly | Familiar size that fits in a wallet or pocket for later |
| 100 x 150 mm Table Tent | Cafés, restaurants, waiting areas | Freestanding and visible from a seated position |
| 105 x 148 mm A6 Postcard | Packed with online orders, mailed thank-yous | Feels like a genuine keepsake rather than a throwaway flyer |
Contrast, Colour, and Why Your QR Code Might Fail to Scan
A QR code isn't just a decorative pattern - it's read by detecting the contrast between dark and light modules, and low contrast is one of the most common reasons a printed code fails to scan. Pale grey on white, or a light brand colour on a slightly darker background, might look elegant on screen but can fall apart under the more forgiving-but-imperfect conditions of a real print job and a phone camera under indoor lighting. This tool includes a contrast check specifically for your chosen QR foreground and background colours, separate from the card's text contrast check, and defaults to a locked black-on-white QR code with a toggle to override it - because "on brand" and "actually scans reliably" aren't always the same thing.
This Tool vs. a Generic QR Code Generator vs. Canva
| Aspect | This Tool | Generic QR Generator | Canva |
|---|---|---|---|
| Produces a full card, not just a code | Yes | No - code only | Yes, but manual layout |
| QR scannability contrast check | Built in | Rarely offered | Not available |
| Retail-specific size presets | Business card, sticker, table tent, postcard | N/A | Generic flyer/poster sizes |
| Account required | No | Sometimes | Yes, for most exports |
| Multi-copy print sheet | Auto-generated with cut guides | No | Manual duplication |
Printing Tips That Actually Matter
- Test-scan before a full batch: Print one copy and scan it with at least two different phone models - camera quality and printer output both vary.
- Weight of paper: 250-300gsm cardstock holds up far better on a counter or table than standard printer paper, and feels more like a genuine keepsake for postcard-style cards.
- Avoid glossy laminate glare: A high-gloss finish can create camera glare that interferes with scanning under bright shop lighting - matte or satin finishes are generally safer.
- Keep the quiet zone intact: Don't crop or trim right up to the edge of the QR code itself when cutting a printed sheet apart.
Security and Privacy
- No Server Upload: Your card and QR code are generated locally in your browser.
- No Account Needed: No signup, login, or email required.
- Local Draft Only: A working copy, including your review link, is saved to this browser's local storage so refreshing doesn't lose your progress; it isn't synced or sent anywhere.
- No Watermark: Downloaded cards contain only what you designed.
Browser Compatibility
Works in any modern browser supporting Canvas and JavaScript ES6:
- ✅ Chrome/Edge 60+
- ✅ Firefox 55+
- ✅ Safari 13+
- ✅ Mobile Chrome (Android), Mobile Safari (iOS)
Troubleshooting
Check the contrast badge under the QR colour pickers first - low contrast is the most common cause. Also confirm the printed quiet zone (the plain border around the code) hasn't been trimmed or covered by another design element.
Double-check the review URL field for typos, and confirm you copied the link from the correct platform account if you manage more than one location.
Long headlines shrink automatically to fit, but very long text on the 50x50mm sticker size will still look cramped - try a shorter headline or a larger size preset.
A draft autosaves to local storage after each change, but clearing your browser's site data or using a private/incognito window prevents that draft from persisting.
Frequently Asked Technical Questions
What library generates the QR code?
An open-source, client-side QR rendering library draws the code directly onto a canvas element in your browser based on the URL you provide - no data is sent to a server to generate it.
What error-correction level does the QR code use?
A high error-correction level is used by default, which allows the code to remain scannable even with minor print imperfections, smudges, or partial obstruction - at the cost of a slightly denser pattern.
How is the "quiet zone" enforced?
A plain-coloured margin is drawn behind the QR code automatically, sized proportionally to the code itself, matching the border most QR standards require for reliable scanner detection.
How is the print resolution calculated?
The canvas is sized in pixels at roughly 11.8 pixels per millimetre, corresponding to 300 DPI, the resolution generally recommended for sharp print output.
Where is my draft saved?
In your browser's localStorage, scoped to this page's origin - it never leaves your device and isn't synced across devices automatically.
Final Thoughts
A QR review card won't manufacture reviews that aren't genuinely there — but it removes nearly every bit of friction standing between a customer who's happy and a review that's actually posted. Whether it's tucked into an Etsy package, sitting on a café table, or handed over at checkout, this free, browser-based generator gets a print-ready, properly scannable card into your hands in minutes, with the platform-policy guardrails built in rather than buried in a help article somewhere else.
Frequently Asked Questions
A small printed card or sticker that a customer scans to be taken directly to your shop's review page on Google, Yelp, Etsy, or another platform.
Yes, completely free with no signup, no watermark, and no limit on how many you create.
Use the "Get more reviews" short link from Google Business Profile, or copy your page URL directly from Yelp, Facebook, Etsy, TripAdvisor, or Trustpilot.
Most major platforms prohibit rewarding customers specifically for leaving a review. A general thank-you message, not tied to a review, is the safer approach.
A business card size (85x55mm) works well on a counter; a table tent (100x150mm) suits cafés and restaurants.
Yes, low contrast between the QR code and its background can cause scan failures - use the built-in checker before printing.
No, the card and QR code are generated locally in your browser, with only a local draft saved in your own browser's storage.
Yes, many sellers include a printed QR review card inside shipped packages linking to their shop's review page.