Before you start
- What goes in
- The final payload, optional logo artwork and the intended physical placement size.
- What comes out
- A static QR code as SVG, PDF or PNG, with the payload encoded directly in the symbol.
A practical example
A recipe link on the back of a tea carton
Encode a short HTTPS address on a domain you control. Add a plain-language caption such as “Brew your perfect cup”, keep the QR clear of the fold and scan the printed proof before the packaging run.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Choose the payload type
Select Link, Text, Wi-Fi, Contact, Email or Phone. Fill the fields for that type. Use the full intended web address or international phone number and inspect every character.
Check the destination first
Open the link or verify the contact information before creating a print asset. A static QR stores what you enter; changing a destination later requires control of the linked page or a new code.
Style without losing legibility
Choose module style and size, Modules and Background colours, then an optional frame and caption. Keep strong contrast and a clear border. Decorative styling should not obscure the finder patterns.
Add a logo carefully
Upload a supported logo and choose Centre badge or Blend into code. Adjust the available size or blend/detail controls. Logo mode uses the high error-correction setting, but that does not guarantee scanning after printing.
Choose physical and raster sizes
Read Version, Modules, Error correction, Data and Smallest size. Set PDF width for print or PNG width for pixels. The PDF export will not go below the tool’s calculated minimum size.
Download and test the final use
Export SVG, PDF or PNG. Place the code at the intended size, print a proof and scan it on multiple devices under realistic light and distance. Confirm both successful recognition and the correct destination.
Options at a glance
| Control or choice | What it changes | How to use it well |
|---|---|---|
| Link / Text | A web destination or plain text encoded in the symbol. | Short, stable URLs generally keep the code less dense. Use a destination you can maintain. |
| Wi-Fi | Network name, security and password, with a Hidden network option. | Anyone able to scan the code can recover the credentials; use the intended guest network. |
| Contact / Email / Phone | A contact card or an action with the supplied address, message or number. | Inspect the resulting action on the target phones before printing. |
| Modules / Dot size / Colours | The data pattern’s appearance and contrast. | Keep finder, timing and alignment structures readable and test the chosen styling. |
| Frame / Caption | A surrounding visual treatment and call to action. | Keep the required clear space intact and say what scanning will do. |
| Logo style / size / blend | Places a centre badge or integrates a logo into the code. | Start small and test. A visually attractive preview is not enough evidence of scan reliability. |
| Error correction L / M / Q / H | Different redundancy levels in the encoded symbol. | More redundancy can make the symbol denser. With a logo the tool uses H; still test the final output. |
| PDF width / PNG width | Physical size for PDF and pixel size for PNG. | A large pixel count alone does not specify the size at which the code will print. |
Detailed control reference
Find the control, understand its effect, and choose it for the job you are making. Available controls depend on the selected structure, object, workspace and output.
QR generator → content type
Link and Text payloads
Link encodes an HTTP/HTTPS address, adding https:// when appropriate; Text encodes the actual text. The code is static: the payload is directly inside its modules.
- When it helps most
- Use a short stable URL under your control for recipes, instructions or refill pages. Use Text for a small message that should appear without opening a website.
- Impact and trade-offs
- The visible caption does not change the encoded destination. A static code cannot be retargeted from this tool after printing; you can maintain the linked page if you control it. Longer payloads generally need more modules.
- Worked example
- Changing “Brew guide” to “Refill guide” in the frame caption leaves the URL untouched. Edit the Link field and regenerate if the destination itself must change.
QR generator → Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi: SSID, security, password and Hidden network
Builds a Wi-Fi payload using the exact network name and security choice: WPA/WPA2, WEP or None. Hidden network adds the hidden-network flag.
- When it helps most
- Use for an intended guest network or a controlled setup card. Match the actual network settings.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Anyone with the printed code can recover the encoded credentials. Choosing None omits a password; it does not make a secured network open. Test joining on the intended devices rather than only decoding the text.
QR generator → corresponding content types
Contact, Email and Phone
Contact creates a vCard 3.0 from the supplied person/organisation/contact/address fields. Email creates a mail action with recipient, subject and body. Phone creates a dial action.
- When it helps most
- Use a contact code for a business card or support contact, Email for a prefilled enquiry, Phone for a call action with the international country code.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Phones and installed apps decide how the action is presented. A successful decode does not send an email or complete a call. Test the saved contact and the exact prefilled fields; contact detail also increases payload density.
QR generator → Modules
Module shape and Dot size
Square, Rounded, Circle and Diamond change decorative data-cell geometry. Dot size from 75–100% is shown for non-square styles. Finder, timing and alignment patterns stay full squares.
- When it helps most
- Use simple large modules when reliability and small print size matter. Use a modest decorative shape only when the final output has been tested.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Smaller dots reduce printed dark area. A shape that looks attractive enlarged can be less forgiving at final size or under blur. Functional cells staying square does not guarantee a styled code will scan on all surfaces.
QR generator → Colours
Modules and Background colours
Chooses foreground/background colours or a preset. The implementation requires darker modules and at least its 3:1 contrast check.
- When it helps most
- Use strong dark-on-light contrast and a stable light background, especially on packaging that may be curved or textured.
- Impact and trade-offs
- The software contrast threshold is an indicator, not a print-grade or scan guarantee. Test the final printed colours, stock and lighting. A colour that is acceptable on a backlit display may behave differently under a camera on a printed pack.
QR generator → Frame
Frame, Caption and Frame colour
Plain has no decorative frame; Label, Ticket, Badge, Envelope and Coffee add their named surrounding treatments outside the QR clear region. Caption is a single line of up to 48 supported characters.
- When it helps most
- Choose a frame that communicates the action without crowding the package. A useful caption explains what scanning gives the reader.
- Impact and trade-offs
- The frame increases the total printed asset size even when the central QR data is unchanged. Caption support is limited to the Latin-letter/numeric/punctuation encoding accepted by the tool. A frame colour does not change the destination.
QR generator → Logo; supported image under 12 MB
Logo upload, Replace, Remove and Centre badge
Adds a prepared logo. Centre badge places it over the middle; Logo size is 10–25% of code width. Any logo forces H error correction.
- When it helps most
- Use a simple recognisable logo and begin with modest coverage. Replace/Remove lets you compare the exact same payload with and without the artwork.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Error correction is redundancy, not permission to obscure any arbitrary area. Finder patterns and final size remain important. The H label does not guarantee the printed stylised code will scan.
QR generator → Logo style → Blend into code
Blend into code: Preserve, Color, Silhouette and Auto
Integrates image colouring while protecting data-cell centres. Preserve keeps image colour around QR centres; Color colours QR modules from the logo; Silhouette forms the image with lighter dots; Auto chooses from the image contrast.
- When it helps most
- Use for a large branded QR where integrated artwork is part of the design brief.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Blend mode needs a larger print area: the implementation uses a 0.5 mm-per-module recommendation rather than the ordinary 0.25 mm recommendation. This is a tool sizing rule, not an external verification certificate. Dense, fine artwork can remain difficult to recognise or scan.
QR generator → Blend into code
Detail: Fast, Balanced and Detailed
Sets a minimum QR version for artistic detail. Fast starts at version 8, Balanced at 16 and Detailed at 28; the actual payload can require a higher version.
- When it helps most
- Use Fast for simpler artwork and a smaller available area; increase detail only if the printed area can support the extra modules.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Higher detail makes more, smaller cells within a fixed width. The tool therefore raises the calculated minimum size; decorative frames can increase it further. The displayed minimum is the value to inspect, not a promise that every printer/scanner combination will work.
QR generator → Error correction; M initially, H forced with logo
Error correction: L, M, Q and H
Chooses redundancy with nominal restoration levels of about 7%, 15%, 25% and 30% of total codewords respectively. Higher redundancy can require more modules for the same payload.
- When it helps most
- Choose according to likely dirt/damage and available print area. Keep an adequate module size and test the complete printed placement.
- Impact and trade-offs
- These percentages are codeword-level descriptions, not guaranteed percentages of the visible surface you may cover. Damage location, functional patterns, contrast and printing still matter. A larger denser H code printed too small can perform worse than a simpler clean design.
QR generator → preview metadata
Version, Modules, Data and Smallest size
Version identifies the symbol grid; Modules reports its cell dimensions; Data reports encoded bytes; Smallest size is the tool’s calculated physical-size recommendation for the chosen appearance.
- When it helps most
- Read these after every change to payload, logo, frame or artistic detail. Reserve that complete asset area in the packaging layout.
- Impact and trade-offs
- Bytes and visible characters differ for some text. A code becoming denser after adding contact details is expected. The last good preview can remain visible while the current input is invalid, so check status before downloading.
QR generator → Download
PDF width, PNG width and SVG
PDF width is entered in millimetres (5–500) and exported no smaller than the computed minimum. PNG offers 512/1024/2048/4096 pixels. SVG keeps vector geometry.
- When it helps most
- Use a sized PDF or vector placement for print, then check the actual placed dimensions. Use a PNG at sufficient resolution for its intended display/printing workflow.
- Impact and trade-offs
- A 2048-pixel asset does not specify its printed millimetres. Shrinking a correctly generated QR after download can defeat the minimum-size choice. Check the whole frame/quiet-zone boundary against the final panel and cut line.
A static code stays useful when its destination stays useful
The generator does not turn the code into an editable hosted campaign. For a packaging run that will be used for months, link to a stable page under your control and maintain that page. Do not use an expiring preview URL as a permanent packaging destination.
QR density increases with the payload. Long text or detailed contact data can need a larger physical symbol than a short link. Read the calculated minimum and leave enough space in the layout.
Practice: see how data and styling change the required space
Create a short-link QR with a plain frame and no logo. Note version, module count and calculated minimum size. Add a longer path or contact details and compare those values. Restore the short link, add a small centre badge, then compare with Blend into code at each Detail level.
Export each candidate at the size you actually intend to print and place it on the same panel. Test the same destination, paper, lighting and devices so the comparison is meaningful. Keep the simplest design that satisfies the appearance brief and scans reliably in the intended use.
- Count the clear border and frame in the available placement area.
- Confirm the destination after every test; successful recognition of the wrong URL is still a failed job.
- Keep an undecorated reference version to diagnose whether a problem came from content, size, styling or placement.
Check your work
- The payload is correct and the destination works.
- The QR has clear space and strong contrast.
- The physical printed size is sufficient.
- Logo and decorative styling have been tested.
- The printed proof scans to the intended content.
Troubleshooting
The downloaded PDF is larger than the requested width
The requested width is below the tool’s calculated minimum for that code. Shorten the payload or allow a larger placement.
A styled QR is unreliable
Return to simple square modules, a smaller or absent logo and dark-on-light colours, then retest the printed output.
The code opens the wrong page
Correct the actual encoded URL and regenerate. A caption does not change the payload.