QR Code Generator
Links, wifi, contact cards and more. Encoded in your browser, and the codes never expire.
Appearance
Encoded in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
These codes do not expire
Worth knowing before you print anything. QR codes come in two kinds, and the difference decides whether your poster still works next year.
- Static, which is what this tool makes: your data is encoded directly into the pattern. Scanning it reads the link, the text or the wifi details straight out of the picture. Nothing sits in between, so there is nothing to expire, no account to keep, and no service that can go away.
- Dynamic, which most "free QR generators" quietly produce: the pattern encodes a short link on their domain, which redirects to yours. That lets them change the destination later and count the scans — and it means every code you printed stops working the day they shut the redirect off or move you onto a paid plan.
If you need to change a destination after printing, dynamic codes are genuinely useful and worth paying a reputable provider for. If you just want a code on a menu, a business card or a poster, static is what you want, and it should not cost anything or depend on anyone.
Nothing you type leaves the page
Encoding happens in your browser. That is a normal privacy claim on this site but it matters more here than usual, because of what people put into QR generators: the wifi password for an office, a home address on a contact card, a private staging link. None of it is transmitted, because there is no server involved.
Getting a code that actually scans
Error correction, and why a logo needs it
Every QR code carries redundancy so it still reads when part of it is dirty, creased or covered. There are four levels, and they trade capacity for resilience:
| Level | Recoverable | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| L | About 7% | Screens and clean conditions, when you want the smallest pattern |
| M | About 15% | The sensible default for print |
| Q | About 25% | Codes that will be handled, folded or used outdoors |
| H | About 30% | Anything with a logo over the middle |
A logo covers data. At level H roughly thirty per cent of the code can be lost and still recovered, which is why the tool raises the level for you the moment a logo is added. It also keeps the logo to a size the redundancy can absorb: a logo covering half the code is not a design choice, it is a broken code that happens to scan on the phone you tested it with.
Colour and contrast
Scanners look for dark modules on a light field. Two rules follow, and the tool warns you when either is broken:
- Keep strong contrast. A pale grey code on white looks tasteful and fails in poor light.
- Keep the pattern darker than the background. Inverted codes — light on dark — are read by some scanners and not others, which is worse than an obvious failure because it works when you test it.
Size, margin and distance
The blank border around a code is not padding, it is part of the specification: the quiet zone is what tells a scanner where the code ends. Four modules is the standard and is the default here. Setting it to zero produces a code that will fail against a busy background.
For size, a rough rule works well: the code should be about a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. Two metres away wants roughly twenty centimetres across. On a business card, two centimetres is enough for a short link — but only for a short one, because more data means a denser pattern and finer modules, and a long URL at two centimetres is unreadable. Shorten the link before you shrink the code.
Print from the SVG whenever you can. It is drawn from shapes rather than pixels, so it is exactly as sharp on a shop window as on a card. PNG is the right choice for screens and for anything that will not take an SVG.
Questions
Do these QR codes expire?
No. What you download is a picture of your data encoded directly into the pattern. It does not point at this site or at any redirect service, so there is nothing that can be switched off or stop paying for. A code printed today still scans in ten years.
Is what I type sent anywhere?
No. The encoding happens in your browser and so does the drawing. Nothing you enter is transmitted, which matters because people put wifi passwords, private addresses and personal contact details into QR generators.
Why does adding a logo need high error correction?
A logo covers part of the pattern, which is data. QR codes carry redundancy so they still scan when damaged, and the highest level can lose about 30 per cent of the code and still be read. Placing a logo without raising the level is how you get a code that works on your phone and fails on someone else's. The tool raises it for you when a logo is added.
How small can I print a QR code?
About two centimetres square for a short link scanned from close up, and larger for longer data because more data means a finer pattern. A useful rule for distance is that the code should be about a tenth of the scanning distance: readable from two metres means roughly twenty centimetres across. Always keep the quiet zone, the blank margin around the code.
PNG or SVG?
SVG for anything printed. It is drawn from shapes rather than pixels, so it stays perfectly sharp at any size, from a business card to a shop window. PNG for screens, email and apps that will not accept an SVG.
Can I make the code my brand colour?
Yes, with one rule: keep strong contrast, and keep the pattern darker than the background. Scanners look for dark squares on a light field, and a light code on a dark background fails on many phones. The tool warns you when the contrast drops too low to be reliable.
Related tools
Browse all Sigma Wire tools - every free tool on the site, grouped by category.