QR codes on table tents

A table tent is read from 40–80 cm, so the ten-to-one rule asks for a 4–8 cm code; in practice 3–4 cm works because diners lean in or pick the tent up. Use error correction M, matt laminate, and print the code on both faces.

Typical scan distance	40–80 cm
Minimum code width	3–4 cm
Error correction	M

The numbers

Situation	Distance	Code width needed
Diner leans in or picks the tent up	30–40 cm	3–4 cm
Diner scans across the table	80 cm	8 cm

Strictly, the ten-to-one rule says a code scanned across a table needs 8 cm. Almost no tent design allows that, and it does not need to: a table tent is the one piece of signage the reader can move. Design for the lean-in at 3–4 cm and the geometry solves itself. The full arithmetic is in QR code size for a table tent.

Glare is the failure mode

Table tents are almost always gloss-laminated, and diners view them at 30–45°, not straight on. Overhead pendant lights and downlighters reflect off gloss laminate at exactly that angle, laying a white specular band across the code. No error-correction level recovers a code behind glare; the camera never sees the modules at all. This is the single most common reason a menu code works in the print proof and fails at the table.

Fixes, in order of effectiveness:

Matt or soft-touch laminate. Costs pennies more and removes the problem.
Anti-glare (satin) laminate if the printer offers nothing else.
Keep the code in the lower half of the tent face, where the viewing angle to overhead lights is shallower.

More on the physics in glossy surfaces and glare.

Print both faces

A tent has two or three faces and diners sit on all sides of the table. Duplicate the code on every face, a one-sided tent silently halves scans. Keep contrast to spec while you are at it: dark modules on a light ground with at least a 40% luminance difference, and a clear quiet zone of four modules that the tent's border artwork must not invade.

The base matters

Tents get knocked over, and a face-down tent scans zero times. Use 300 gsm or heavier stock, a proper locking-tab base rather than a taped edge, and a footprint of at least 8 × 8 cm. Acrylic sign holders with paper inserts survive cleaning sprays better than bare card and let you swap the insert without reprinting the structure, useful when the menu changes.

FAQ

What size should a QR code be on a table tent?

At least 3–4 cm square. That covers a diner leaning in to 30–40 cm. If you want the code to scan from a seat across the table, roughly 80 cm away, it needs 8 cm, so most designs should optimise for the lean-in instead.

Why does my table tent QR code scan in the office but not in the restaurant?

Almost always glare. Gloss laminate under overhead lighting reflects a white band across the code at the 30–45° angle diners actually view it from. Reprint with matt laminate, or move the code lower on the tent face.

Should the QR code be on both sides of a table tent?

Yes. Diners sit on every side of the table, and a tent face they cannot see is a code they cannot scan. Duplicate the code identically on each face of the tent.

What error correction level should a table tent QR code use?

M is right. Table tents live indoors, get replaced often, and the main threats (glare and small size) are not the kind of damage error correction repairs. Higher levels just add density and make the code harder to scan at this size.