Email QR Codes: Scan to Open a Pre-Written Message

Printing an email address on a poster or business card still leaves someone typing it out by hand, hoping they didn't fat-finger a character. An Email QR code skips that: scan it, and the phone's email app opens with the message already addressed and, if you want, already written.

What actually happens when you scan it

An Email QR code encodes a mailto: link - the same format a "Email us" button on a website uses. Scanning it opens whatever email app is set as default on the phone (Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, or anything else), with a new message already open. Nothing is sent automatically; the recipient still reviews and hits send themselves.

What goes on the card

• To - the email address the message goes to
• Subject - optional, pre-filled so the recipient doesn't start from a blank line
• Body - optional, useful for a template message ("I'd like to book a table for...") that someone can edit before sending

Only the "To" address is required - subject and body are there for when a specific, repeatable message is worth pre-writing.

Where it's actually useful

A business card or email signature, so a contact doesn't need to be typed out or copy-pasted from a screenshot. A support or inquiry poster where a pre-filled subject line ("Order Support" or "Press Inquiry") helps the message get routed to the right person before it's even sent. A print ad or flyer with a call-to-action that goes straight to an inbox instead of a contact form. Anywhere a "click to email" link would go on a website, an Email QR code is the printed equivalent.

Email vs SMS QR codes

Both pre-fill a message and leave the sending to whoever scans, but they land in different places: an Email QR code opens the recipient's email app for anything that benefits from a written record - a formal inquiry, an order support request, something with attachments. An SMS QR code opens the phone's texting app instead, better for something quick that expects a fast reply. Use email when the message needs to look and read like correspondence; use SMS when speed matters more than formality.

Getting started

Email is one of 19 QR code types available after you sign up free - enter the address and, optionally, a subject and body, and it's ready to print.