Free QR code generator
Turn any link or text into a high-resolution QR code you can download and print, with your own logo in the centre if you want one. Free, instant, and watermark-free.
Promoting an app? Create a smart app link instead — the QR code then routes each scanner to the store their device can install from.
What a QR code actually is
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that encodes text — usually a URL. The three large squares in the corners are finder patterns that let a camera work out the code’s orientation, and the rest of the grid carries the data along with error-correction redundancy.
That redundancy is why a code still scans when it is slightly scratched, partly shadowed, or has a small logo in the middle. It is also why longer encoded text produces a denser, more fragile code: fewer characters means larger modules, and larger modules scan from further away.
Every modern phone camera scans QR codes natively, with no app required — which is what turned them from a curiosity into a default way to move someone from a physical surface to a URL.
Six rules for QR codes that actually scan
Most QR failures are print-production problems, not encoding problems. These cover nearly all of them.
- Size for the scanning distance
- Start at 2 × 2 cm (about 0.8 in) for a code read at arm’s length, then add roughly 1 cm of width for every extra 10 cm of distance. A poster read from across a room needs a far bigger code than a business card.
- Keep the quiet zone clear
- Leave a blank margin roughly four modules wide on all four sides. Crowding the code with text or artwork is the single most common reason a printed code fails to scan.
- Preserve contrast
- Dark modules on a light background, with real contrast between them. Inverted codes, low-contrast brand colours, and busy photo backgrounds all reduce the scan rate.
- Keep a centre logo modest
- QR symbols carry error correction, which is what lets a logo sit in the middle. Keep it under roughly a fifth of the code’s width, and never let it cover the three corner finder squares.
- Print a proof and scan it
- Test the actual printed piece, at the actual size, with more than one phone — not the PNG on your monitor. Do this before a run of ten thousand boxes, not after.
- Point it at a link you control
- Encode a short link rather than a long destination URL. The code stays simpler to scan, and the printed artwork does not become wrong the day the destination changes.
QR code questions
Is the QR code free to use in print?
Yes. Every link comes with a downloadable, high-resolution PNG with no watermark and no attribution requirement. Use it on flyers, packaging, business cards, roll-up banners, conference badges, slides, or product manuals.
Can I put my logo in the middle of the QR code?
Yes. The standalone QR generator lets you drop a logo into the centre of the code. QR symbols carry error correction, so a modest centre logo stays scannable — keep it under roughly a fifth of the width and test a printed proof before a large run.
How small can I print the QR code?
As a working rule, a QR code should be at least 2 × 2 cm (about 0.8 in) for a code scanned from arm’s length, and scale up roughly one centimetre of width for every 10 cm of extra scanning distance. Always leave a clear quiet zone around the code and keep strong contrast between the modules and the background.
If I reprint, do I need a new QR code?
No — the QR code encodes the short link, not the store URL, so the printed artwork stays correct as long as the link exists. That indirection is the main reason to point print material at a smart link rather than at a raw store URL.