Create a QR code in seconds
Paste a link or type any text, pick a style, and download your QR code as a PNG or SVG. Alongside the classic black on white code you can use solid colors, gradients (including an Instagram gradient), rounded or dotted modules, shaped corner eyes, and a center image: upload your own logo or pick one of the built in pictures. QR codes bridge print and the web: menus, posters, business cards, product packaging and event signs all use them to send people to a page with one camera point. There are no watermarks, no sign-up and no download limits.
Tips for QR codes that scan every time
- Keep the content short. Shorter text makes a simpler pattern that scans faster and at smaller sizes.
- Leave a quiet zone. The white border around the code is part of the standard, so do not crop it away.
- Mind the contrast. Dark modules on a light background scan best. The classic style uses black on white, and this tool warns you if you pick colors with weak contrast.
- Test before you print, on more than one phone if you can.
How a QR code works under the hood
A QR code stores your text as a pattern of dark and light squares called modules. Your text is first converted into a compact binary form, split into blocks, and then extra error correction data is calculated and woven in. That extra data is why a code still scans when part of it is dirty, folded or covered by a small logo. The three large squares in the corners tell the phone camera where the code is and which way up it sits, even at an angle or upside down. Smaller alignment squares help correct for curved surfaces and perspective. For plain codes this generator uses error correction level M, which restores about 15 percent of the data. When you add a center image it switches automatically to level H, which can rebuild roughly 30 percent, so the code keeps scanning with a picture in the middle.
Practical tips for real world use
- Shorten long links first: a short web address needs fewer modules, so the squares stay large and the code scans from farther away. Use a clean redirect on your own site if you can.
- Size for distance: a useful rule is that the code should be about one tenth of the scanning distance. A poster read from two meters needs a code at least 20 centimeters wide.
- Pick the right download size: 512 pixels is plenty for screens and small labels, 1024 suits documents and packaging, and 2048 is the safe choice for large print where edges must stay sharp. SVG is vector, so it scales to any size for design work.
- Think about surface and light: glossy lamination, curved bottles and low light all make scanning harder. Use matte finishes and place codes where people can hold a phone steady in front of them.
- Add a short instruction: a line such as Scan to see the menu tells people what they get. Codes with a clear promise get scanned far more often.
A worked example
Say you run a small cafe and want a code on each table that opens your menu page. You paste the menu link, which is 38 characters long, and download the 1024 pixel PNG. Printed at 5 centimeters square on a matte table card, it scans instantly from a seated position, because the pattern is simple and the modules are large. Compare that with encoding a full contact card with name, phone, email and address, which runs to several hundred characters. The pattern becomes dense, the printed size needs to grow to stay reliable, and scanning takes a moment longer. For the table card the short link wins. The detailed contact code belongs on your business card, where the phone is held close and size matters less.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Encoding the wrong link: a code cannot be edited after printing. Open the destination yourself, copy the address from the browser bar, and scan the finished code before the print run.
- Reversing the colors: light squares on a dark background confuse many scanners. Keep dark modules on a light background, as the contrast warning above the preview will remind you.
- Placing codes out of reach: a code on a billboard or the back of a moving vehicle cannot be scanned, however sharp it is. Put codes where people can stand still within arm reach or a short distance.
- Stretching the image: resizing a square code into a rectangle in a design program distorts the modules and breaks scanning. Always scale it evenly from a corner.
- Sending people to a page that fails on phones: test the landing page on mobile data. A perfect code that opens a slow or broken page wastes the scan entirely.