Print Campaign Link Checklist

The pre-press link QA process

Sending artwork to the printer without testing every URL is the most common and most expensive mistake in print marketing. Reprinting 5,000 flyers because a QR code goes nowhere costs more than any print run. Distributing 10,000 menus with a dead link damages your brand with every customer who scans.

A systematic pre-press checklist treats every URL in a print document the same way a press operator treats ink coverage — something to verify before the run starts, not after. PrintLink Checker runs all ten checks below automatically. Paste your URLs, get a shareable report, and attach it to your print approval sign-off.

All 10 checks — and why each one matters

• 01

  Destination resolves (HTTP 200)

  The final URL returns a 200 status code — not a 404, 410, or 500. This is the baseline. If the page is down, every scan and every visit is a dead end.

• 02

  No redirect loops

  The URL does not bounce between two or more servers indefinitely. Loops cause browsers to show an error page rather than redirecting to your campaign.

• 03

  Full redirect chain mapped

  Every hop from the printed URL to the final destination is recorded with its status code. Useful for vanity domains and short URLs that route through multiple services.

• 04

  HTTPS with valid SSL certificate

  The final destination uses HTTPS and has a certificate that is not expired, not self-signed, and not issued for a different domain. Expired SSL shows a browser warning on every device.

• 05

  Mobile viewport configured

  The page includes a responsive viewport meta tag. QR code scans always happen on mobile — a non-responsive page is a broken experience for every user.

• 06

  Mobile load time acceptable

  Time-to-first-byte tested with a mobile user-agent. Pages taking over 3 seconds on mobile lose most of their audience before seeing the content.

• 07

  UTM parameters present

  The URL includes utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. Without these, print traffic is invisible in Google Analytics — reported as direct rather than as a campaign result.

• 08

  tel: and mailto: format valid

  Phone numbers use the tel: scheme with a valid international format. Email addresses use mailto: with a valid format. Malformed links on business cards and flyers silently fail.

• 09

  PDF or file link publicly accessible

  Any Google Drive, Dropbox, or direct .pdf link resolves publicly without requiring login. A "Request Access" wall means every visitor who clicks is blocked.

• 10

  Page title and meta description present

  The destination page has a title tag and meta description. Relevant for brand consistency — when the link is shared or previewed, it should reflect your campaign.