A car show QR code that people actually scan

The card has one job: let a stranger standing a couple of feet from the car get the key facts fast, and give them a way to go deeper. It is not the place for your whole parts list. Long paragraphs do not get read at a show. Short lines do.

That split is the whole idea. The card carries the headline. The code carries everything else.

• Year, make, model, and your name or the car's nickname.
• Three to five headline mods, as short bullets.
• One power number, with a note on whether it is wheel or crank.
• A short line telling people what the code does, like “Scan for the full mod list and photos”.
• The web address in plain text under the code, for phones that will not read it.

Use a plain, readable font and leave empty space. A busy card makes the code harder to find.

Send the code to a page built for phones. Nobody at a show wants to download a file, sign in or pinch and zoom a spreadsheet. The page should open fast and read top to bottom:

• The name, the year, make and model, and the headline numbers.
• The full mod list, grouped by type, with brands and part names.
• A handful of photos, including a before shot if you have one.
• The build story in a few lines, and who did the work.
• Where to follow the car.

A BuildTags build page does all of this, and you can change it from your phone in the parking lot after you pick up a new part. If you do not have the list written down yet, start with the guide to documenting your car build.

Print the code bigger than you think you need. A common rule of thumb is that a phone reads a code from about ten times its width, so a code that should scan from a few feet away needs to be several inches across.

Put the card where a person can stand to read it without blocking the walkway: on a stand in front of the car, or on the windshield side facing out. Keep the card flat and held in place so wind does not curl it.

• Glare. A glossy card in direct sun can mirror the sky. A matte finish or a slight tilt helps.
• Reflective glass. A card on the dash behind a curved windshield picks up reflections and tint. A stand in front of the car usually reads better.
• Low contrast. A coloured code on a coloured background, or a code over a photo, fails in dim halls.
• Crowds and shade. In a dim hall or deep shade, phones need a moment to focus. Leave a clear margin around the code so they lock on faster.

Print the real card, not a draft on your home printer at a different size. Scan it with two or three different phones, up close and from where a spectator would stand, in sun and in shade. Ask a friend to try. If any phone struggles, make the code bigger or raise the contrast.

Some shows hand out a participant sheet with their own code for voting or for the show's website. Keep yours separate and do not cover theirs. Two codes can sit side by side without trouble.

A printed card is for one show. A sticker on the car works at every meet, gas station and cruise night, and you can update the page behind it without printing anything new. That is what a BuildTag is: a QR decal with a permanent code, so you change the page and not the sticker. Browse the shop, or read the guide to QR code stickers for cars for sizing, placement and scanning tips.