QR codes for PDFs and images you can replace later
The usual way to put a PDF behind a QR code is to host it somewhere yourself and point the code at the URL, which works fine until you need to update the file and the old link is already on a thousand printed flyers. Reticle's file links skip the hosting problem entirely: upload a PDF or image, get a QR code that serves it directly, and swap the file later without touching the code. Part of Reticle Pro.
How it works
A file link is a dynamic link, the same kind of short address behind any other dynamic QR code, except instead of redirecting to a URL you supply, it serves a file you uploaded, directly, at that address. There's no interstitial page and no extra click: scan the code, and a PDF opens like a PDF, an image displays like an image, exactly as if the QR code pointed straight at the file.
The part that makes it worth using over hosting the file yourself is what happens when the file changes. Because the QR code encodes the link, not the file, replacing the file at that same link means every future scan serves the new version. Nothing about the printed code changes, and nothing you've already handed out stops working while you swap it.
Uploading a file
Open My codes, switch to the Dynamic tab, and start a new link. Choose File from the create menu and pick a PDF, PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP up to 10 MB. Reticle generates the QR code the moment the upload finishes, no separate hosting step, no file URL to copy anywhere.
Replacing the file later
Find the link in My codes and use Replace file in the detail pane. Pick the new file, and once the upload finishes the link serves it instead, the old file is gone, and the QR code you already printed needs no changes at all. A version counter on the link ticks up each time, so you can tell at a glance whether you're looking at the original upload or a later revision.
Everything else a dynamic link already does
A file link inherits the rest of what dynamic links do: password protection (yes, even on a file, a correct password is required before the bytes are served), scheduling and expiry, a maximum scan count, a custom domain if your account has one, and per-scan analytics on Pro. It just doesn't happen to have a destination URL, the file itself is the destination.
Where this is worth it
Anywhere a QR code needs to lead to a document that will eventually change: a restaurant's printed menu PDF for the tables that still get one, a product spec sheet on packaging that gets revised between print runs, a real estate flyer's floor plan, a conference program, a warranty card's instructions. Any of these could be hosted on your own site instead, but a file link means you don't need a place to host it, and you don't need to touch the printed code the next time the document changes.
Frequently asked questions
What file types can a file link serve?
PDF, PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP, up to 10 MB. That covers a menu, a spec sheet, a flyer, or a scanned document, the kinds of files people print a QR code to hand out.
Is this a paid feature?
Yes, dynamic file links are part of Reticle Pro ($12 a month or $99 a year). A Free account sees File as an option when creating a dynamic link, but choosing it opens the account page instead of an upload form.
Does replacing the file break the QR code?
No. The code encodes a fixed short link, and the file behind it is what changes. Upload a new version from My codes and every future scan serves the new file at the exact same address, nothing about the printed code changes.
Is there an extra click, download prompt, or ad before the file opens?
No. A scan serves the file's bytes directly, a PDF opens like any PDF link and an image displays like any image link, with no interstitial page in between.
Can I password-protect or schedule a file link?
Yes. A file link is a dynamic link like any other, so password protection, scheduling and expiry, a maximum scan count, a custom domain, and per-scan analytics all work on it exactly like they do on a regular redirect link.
What happens if I delete the file but keep the link?
The code keeps resolving, but a scan now shows a plain "file removed" page instead of a document. The link itself, its scan history, and its address are untouched, and uploading a new file to the same link brings it back to serving normally.
Open My codes, start a new dynamic link, and choose File. File links are part of Reticle Pro.