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Mac demo station checklist for QR codes and displays

A demo table fails when the scan link is wrong, the monitor is unreadable, or the fallback path lives only in someone's head. Set those before the first visitor arrives.

Published June 29, 2026 8 min read By John Sciacchitano

The short answer: make the QR code from the final link, test it with a phone, keep the typed URL beside it, set the external display for visitor-distance reading, and run one dry run from the far side of the table. A polished demo station is mostly boring proof that the link, screen, and fallback path all work.

Disclosure: I build TeenyApps, including TeenyTool for local menu bar utilities and TeenyDisplay for external monitor control. My bias is toward small native Mac tools. Apple's Displays settings, a printed URL, and the monitor's own buttons still matter.

This page is not a general presentation checklist. Use Mac presentation checklist for display and audio for slide rooms and Mac workshop room setup for timed teaching sessions. This checklist is for a Mac that sits at a table, runs a repeatable demo, and asks visitors to scan or read something from a display.

Demo station setup table

Station layer Good enough Fix before visitors arrive
Scan link Final URL opens on a phone without login surprises. QR code points to a draft URL, tracking URL, expired build, or private route.
Fallback URL A short typed URL is visible near the QR code. The QR is the only way to reach the page.
External display Text is readable from visitor distance at the chosen resolution. The monitor is sharp at desk distance but too small from the table edge.
Monitor controls Brightness, input, and preset are checked after macOS sees the display. You are relying on a monitor state from yesterday's desk setup.
Dry run One person scans, reads, and follows the path like a visitor. The only test was done by the person who built the station.

01Make the QR code from the final link

Do not generate the QR code until the destination is real. That means the final clean URL, no local tunnel, no staging route, no old campaign parameter, and no link that requires a session only your browser has.

TeenyTool fits the local utility layer when the link should stay on your Mac until you are ready to print or share it. Its homepage lists QR Code Generator among the 75+ menu bar tools. The local Swift source confirms the QR tool takes text or a URL, generates a Core Image QR code, offers 256, 512, and 1024 pixel sizes, copies the image to the pasteboard, and saves a PNG through a Mac save panel. The focused spoke is Offline QR code generator for Mac links and text.

That is enough for most demo-table work. Pick 512 px for a slide or small printout. Pick 1024 px when the code may be scaled into a larger sign. After exporting, scan it with a phone that is not already signed in to your test account.

02Keep a typed URL fallback

A QR code is convenient until the lighting is bad, the printout is bent, the phone camera refuses to focus, or the visitor does not want to scan a code. Put a short typed URL under the code.

If the actual URL is long, create a real short route on your own domain and test it before the event. Do not hide the only path inside a black-and-white square. A visitor should be able to type the fallback from a photo or a note after leaving the table.

For sensitive links, private launches, or customer-specific demos, keep the QR creation local and skip random browser generators. For a public marketing URL, a trusted online generator is fine. The privacy choice depends on the link, not on a blanket rule.

03Set display resolution for reading distance

Use macOS Displays settings first. Confirm the Mac sees the monitor, decide whether to mirror or extend, then choose the resolution and refresh rate for the person reading the screen, not for the person sitting at the keyboard.

This is where a demo station differs from a desk. At a desk, more pixels can feel productive. At a table, the text may be too small. Walk to the visitor side and read the screen from the real distance. If the headline, button labels, and QR instructions are not readable there, change the display mode or the demo page zoom.

TeenyDisplay fits after macOS has a clean display connection. Its homepage says it controls brightness, contrast, volume, input source, resolution, and presets from the Mac menu bar for $9.99 once after a 3-day trial. The source backs up the resolution layer: it lists display modes with width, height, refresh rate, and HiDPI state, can include modes macOS normally hides, and uses Core Graphics to switch modes. The focused spoke is Mac external monitor resolution too small? Fix scaling.

04Save the monitor state only after it works

A display preset is useful only after you know the state is good. Set the input, brightness, contrast, and resolution. Confirm the QR code or demo page is readable. Then save the preset if this station will come back.

TeenyDisplay's source saves display presets with brightness, contrast, volume, input source, resolution, refresh rate, and HiDPI state. That is a good fit for a repeat demo table, a store counter, a recurring event, or a shared office monitor. It is less useful for a one-off room where the monitor, cable, and lighting are unknown.

Keep the physical fallback close anyway. If the display ignores DDC, the input is wrong, or an adapter behaves badly, the monitor buttons are still the recovery path.

05Run the dry run from the visitor side

A dry run from the keyboard proves the operator can use the station. It does not prove visitors can.

Stand where visitors will stand. Scan the QR code. Type the fallback URL. Read the monitor. Click the first button. Watch for the ordinary failures: the URL opens a stale page, the QR code is too small, the monitor is on the wrong input, the display is dim, the page zoom is wrong, or the app window is positioned for the operator instead of the visitor.

If the table needs a timer, room audio, or a live teaching path, use the workshop checklist instead. If the demo needs clipboard scripts, app audio, or support-call prep, use the support-call setup guide. A demo station checklist should stay focused on the scan path and the visible display.

Five-minute demo station checklist

  1. Open the final destination URL in a clean browser session.
  2. Generate a QR code from that URL and export a PNG.
  3. Scan the QR code with a phone that is not already authenticated.
  4. Print or display a typed fallback URL near the code.
  5. Open System Settings, Displays, and choose mirror or extend deliberately.
  6. Pick a resolution that is readable from visitor distance.
  7. Set monitor brightness, input, and preset only after the display is readable.
  8. Run one dry run from the visitor side of the table.

Common questions

What should I check before using a Mac as a demo station?

Check the scan link, QR code image, typed fallback URL, external display arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, brightness, input, and one dry run from the same distance a visitor will stand.

Should a demo-station QR code be generated locally?

Use a local QR generator when the link is private, pre-launch, customer-specific, or likely to change. A browser generator is fine for public, non-sensitive links if you trust the service.

Why does external monitor resolution matter at a demo table?

A resolution that looks sharp at your desk can make text too small from visitor distance. Pick the mode for reading distance first, then adjust brightness, input, and presets.

Sources checked

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