Free QR code generator
Make a QR code for any link, download it as SVG or PNG, and check it will actually scan at the size you plan to print it.
What should the code do?Opens a web page
We add https:// if you leave it off.
Appearance
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Codes with a label are scanned noticeably more often than bare ones.
A logo covers modules. We raise error correction to compensate and then decode the finished code to confirm it still reads.
Higher survives more damage but makes the pattern denser, so each module is smaller at the same printed size.
This sets the size the code needs to be for the distance people will scan it from.
Questions
- Do these codes expire?
- No. A static code contains the destination directly and works forever, whether or not this company exists. Any generator telling you its free codes expire is describing a dynamic code, or is not being straight with you.
- SVG or PNG?
- SVG for anything printed: it scales to any size without losing edge definition, which is exactly what a scanner depends on. PNG for screens, or when a printer insists on it — download it at the pixel size shown, which is calculated for 300 DPI at your chosen print size.
- Can I add my logo?
- Yes, and we check it. A logo covers modules that error correction has to reconstruct, so we raise the correction level automatically and then decode the finished code to confirm it still reads. If it does not, we tell you rather than letting you print it.
Before you print
Size is the most common failure, but it is not the only one.
- Test the actual print, not the screen
- Scan it from the physical proof, at the distance and in the lighting people will really use, with an older phone if you have one. A code that scans on a monitor can fail on paper.
- Keep the quiet zone empty
- The blank margin around the code is part of the code. Scanners use it to find the edges. Placing text or a border inside it is the most common design mistake.
- Avoid glossy lamination where you can
- Gloss reflects overhead light straight back into the camera and washes out the pattern. Matt finishes scan far more reliably indoors.
- Do not print on a curve if you can avoid it
- Bottles, cups and cylinders distort the pattern. If you must, keep the code small relative to the curve and use a higher error correction level.
- Tell people what they get
- A code with no label is scanned far less often than one that says what happens next. 'Scan to see the menu' outperforms a bare code consistently.