Can I include QR and Barcode on the ticket?
Yes — Tickera generates both a unique QR code and a unique barcode for every single ticket, based on each ticket’s own ticket code (which is never duplicated across orders or attendees). You can display either format on the printed/PDF ticket, both side by side, or neither — your call, configured in the ticket template builder.
How the codes are generated
When an order completes, Tickera assigns each ticket a unique alphanumeric code. That code is then encoded into two graphic representations:
- QR code — a 2D matrix barcode, easy to scan with a phone camera or a 2D imager. Universal on modern smartphones, including all phones that the Checkinera mobile check-in app runs on.
- Barcode — a traditional 1D linear barcode (Code 128 by default), suited to laser scanners and hardware imagers that older venue setups still use.
Both encode the same underlying ticket code, so either one will check the attendee in at the door. They’re just different visual containers for the same identifier.
Adding QR codes and barcodes to your ticket
Open the ticket template builder (see the ticket templates guide), drag the QR Code element or the Barcode element onto your layout, size and position it, save. Done. From the next ticket onward, every PDF ticket renders the codes generated for that attendee.
If you’re unsure which to use:
- Going to scan with phones (yours or staff phones running Checkinera)? Use the QR code.
- Using existing 1D laser hardware (older retail-style scanners)? Use the barcode.
- Want flexibility or running a hybrid setup? Add both — they take up little space and cost nothing to render. It’s the most common choice for big events.
Embedding QR codes in the order-confirmation email
You can also put the QR code directly into the order-completed email, so attendees don’t have to download the PDF — they show the email at the door and you scan it from their phone. This is what most modern events do; PDFs become optional.
The technique is documented under content management for the table of purchased tickets. Once enabled, the email body renders a small QR per ticket alongside attendee name and ticket type. Result: a frictionless arrival experience, less paper, less printer-failure-at-the-door drama.
Designing a clean ticket layout
The template builder gives you full control over typography, colours, logos, custom fields and layout, but the difference between an amateur ticket and a professional one is usually restraint. Our blog post Create a neatly-looking ticket template walks through layout principles, placement of the QR/barcode, and visual hierarchy that holds up at any print size.
Choosing the right scanner
For most events, the right answer is a phone running the Checkinera check-in app — fast, cheap, runs offline, scales by adding staff phones. For high-volume gates (10,000+ tickets in a short window), dedicated scanners may be worth considering. Our guide Barcode scanners and the Checkinera app — which one and why compares the options and explains when to choose each.
Anti-fraud considerations
Because each ticket code is unique and Tickera tracks check-in state per ticket, the first scan checks the attendee in; any subsequent scan of the same code flags as already-used. Screenshot sharing, duplicate emails, photocopied PDFs — all of them resolve to the same code, and only one of them gets through. The check-in apps handle this automatically; you don’t have to configure anything.
Related questions
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