--- title: "Running Bitly and reRoute Until the Print Run Turns Over" description: "We cannot take over bit.ly. Keep Bitly live, print new rrte.link on the next run, drain top-N by scan volume, and reprint when menus, posters or packaging turn over." canonical: https://reroutehq.com/resources/bitly-dual-run --- # Running Bitly and reRoute together until the print run turns over **Who this is for:** Teams with bit.ly already on menus, posters or packaging We cannot take over bit.ly. A QR that already encodes bit.ly/… still resolves through Bitly. Importing a CSV creates new rrte.link addresses; it cannot rewrite the ink on a menu, poster or pack. Dual-run means both stay live at once. Keep Bitly destinations pointed at the right pages so existing prints still work. Print new rrte.link on the next physical run — the next batch of menus, posters or packaging. If you still control the Bitly account, you may repoint a bit.ly destination at the new rrte.link address only as a temporary bridge. Drain top-N by scan volume: replace the codes that actually get scanned first. Reprint when that physical run turns over. There is no way to magically rewrite ink. ## Steps ### 1. Create the new rrte.link addresses Import the Bitly CSV or recreate the destinations as dynamic links. That import step is the leave-Bitly guide: destinations, titles, tags and free back-halves come across as new rrte.link addresses. It cannot rewrite a printed bit.ly square. ### 2. Keep Bitly destinations live Do not pause or delete the Bitly links that are already printed. Those bit.ly addresses still resolve through Bitly. The dual-run only works while the old destinations stay up. ### 3. Print new rrte.link on the next physical run Every new menu, poster, label or pack should encode the rrte.link address, not another bit.ly. That is the square import can actually own. Leave the old print in the wild until that run is replaced. ### 4. Repoint Bitly only as a temporary bridge If you still control the Bitly account, and that plan still lets you edit destinations, you can point a bit.ly link at the new rrte.link address so existing prints keep working during the switch. That is a temporary bridge, not a takeover. If you no longer control the account, there is no bridge — wait for the physical run to turn over. ### 5. Drain top-N by scan volume Replace the codes that actually get scanned first. A window sticker or table tent that is scanned all day is worth a new print run before a box in the stockroom. Use Bitly's click counts, or the scans you already know about, to pick that top-N. You do not have to reprint everything on day one. ### 6. Reprint when the physical run turns over Menus, posters and packaging get replaced on their own cycle. Encode rrte.link on each replacement. Do not wait for a way to rewrite ink — there is not one. Once a given print no longer shows bit.ly, that code has drained. ## What this will not do - We cannot take over bit.ly. A QR that already encodes bit.ly/… still resolves through Bitly. - Repoint a bit.ly destination at rrte.link only as a temporary bridge, and only if you still control the Bitly account. Reprint when the physical run turns over — menus, posters, packaging — not by magically rewriting ink. - Import creates new rrte.link addresses. Scan history, passwords, expiry dates and branded domains from Bitly do not come across. - The free plan includes 3 dynamic links. A larger file imports up to the remaining quota and reports the rest as skipped. Paid plans are unlimited. Destination edits on included links stay unlimited. - Location rules route by country only. There is no city- or region-level routing — city is captured in analytics, not used for routing. ## Frequently asked questions ### If I paste my bit.ly CSV, do the printed codes move? No. We cannot take over bit.ly. Import creates new rrte.link addresses. A QR that already encodes bit.ly/… still resolves through Bitly. Keep Bitly destinations live until you reprint, and encode rrte.link on the next physical run. ### How do I drain printed bit.ly codes if import cannot move them? Keep Bitly destinations live. Print new rrte.link on the next physical run. If you still control the Bitly account, repoint bit.ly at the new rrte.link address only as a temporary bridge. Drain top-N by scan volume — replace the codes that actually get scanned first. Reprint when menus, posters or packaging turn over. Import cannot rewrite ink. ### Is the dual-run a replacement for leaving Bitly? No. The leave-Bitly guide is the import: what the CSV moves, and what stays on bit.ly. This guide is the operational overlap — how you keep both live until the physical run turns over. ### What if I no longer control the Bitly account? Then there is no temporary bridge. Existing bit.ly prints keep resolving through Bitly until someone who does control that account changes them, or until you reprint. Encode rrte.link on every new run. ### Do imported rrte.link addresses die if I stop paying here? No. Once a link exists it keeps redirecting, including on the free plan. We never pause links, inject ads, or hold printed QR codes hostage. Plan limits only apply to creating new links. Destination edits on those existing links stay unlimited. ## Related - [/tools/url-qr-code](/tools/url-qr-code) - [Leaving Bitly](/resources/leave-bitly) - [How big to print a QR code](/resources/qr-code-print-size) - [Migrate from Bitly](/migrate/bitly) - [Import your CSV](/import) - [reRoute vs Bitly](/vs/bitly) - [Free QR code generator](/generate) - [Pricing](/pricing)