In short
Regenerating rebuilds the invisible pattern inside a Mark image. You do it when the artwork changes, when the display size changes, or when a Mark reads unreliably in the field.
Regeneration never changes where the Mark points. Your destination, rules, history, and Connections all stay attached. Only the image file is replaced.
On this page
When to regenerate — and when not to
Regeneration is cheap and safe, but it does create a new image file that has to be distributed to wherever the artwork is used. That is the real cost, so it is worth knowing which situations actually call for it.
| Situation | Regenerate? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You changed the source artwork | Yes | The pattern is woven into the specific image. New picture, new pattern. |
| The Mark will now be printed at a different size | Yes | The pattern is laid down for one physical size. This is the most common reason. |
| Scans are unreliable in the field | Yes | Usually a size problem. Regenerating at the true display size is the fix. |
| You changed the destination URL | No | The Mark carries an identity, not an address. Change the destination and the existing artwork follows it. |
| You added a geofence, expiry, or password | No | Rules are evaluated at scan time. The image is unaffected. |
| You want to retire the item | No | Switch it off instead. The artwork stops working immediately. |
The size rule, which decides everything
This is the single most consequential thing to understand about producing Marks, and it is the cause of the overwhelming majority of "it worked on my screen but not in print" reports.
The pattern is made of cells laid into the image at a specific density for a specific physical size. When you scale that image down afterwards — in a page layout, a browser, a print driver, an email client, anywhere — the cells are averaged into each other. Nothing warns you. The picture still looks perfect, because the pattern was invisible to begin with. It simply stops being recoverable.
Before you start
- Know the final display size — the actual measurement on the finished piece, not the size of your source file
- Have the current source artwork available at good quality
- Know everywhere the old image is currently in use, because all of it needs replacing
- Allow time to test a physical proof before a full run
Regenerating, step by step
- Open the item in your Marks list.Find the Mark and choose Regen. You are working on the existing item, not creating a new one — this is what preserves your links and history.
- Set the display size first, before anything else.Enter the size the Mark will actually appear at. This is not a preview setting or a convenience; it determines how the pattern is laid into the image. Getting this right is the whole job.
- Upload replacement artwork if the picture has changed.If only the size is changing, keep the existing source. If the design changed, supply the new file at or above the final size — never below it.
- Regenerate.The platform rebuilds the pattern and produces a new image file.
- Download and distribute the new file.Replace the artwork everywhere it appears — layouts, print files, web pages, partner assets. The old file still carries the old pattern and will keep behaving the old way.
- Test at real size before committing.See the next section. Five minutes here prevents a print run that has to be thrown away.
Testing before you commit to a print run
Test the way a real person will encounter it, not the way you would if you were trying to make it succeed.
What regeneration keeps and what it replaces
| Kept, untouched | Replaced |
|---|---|
| The destination and every redirection rule | The image file itself |
| Scan history and analytics | The pattern inside it |
| Connections people have already accepted | |
| Protection settings, geofences, expiry | |
| The item's place in your projects and clients |
If it still will not read
| What you are seeing | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reads on screen, not in print | Downscaled in layout or at the printer | Confirm the image is placed at 100% and the print pipeline is not resampling |
| Reads only when zoomed to about 200% | Generated large, then scaled down | Regenerate at the true display size |
| Reads on matte stock, fails on gloss | Glare | Change the lighting, or move to a less reflective finish |
| Reads on one phone, not another | Camera quality or focus distance | Increase the display size; test on the weaker device before the run |
| Nothing reads at any size | The item may be switched off | Check the item is active and not past its expiry or scan limit |
| Worked for months, then stopped | Artwork was re-exported or re-placed by someone | Compare the file in use against the file you downloaded from the platform |