Key takeaways
- A static QR code stores your data directly and never expires; it cannot be changed after printing.
- Error correction level M (about 15% recoverable) suits most uses; H (about 30%) for codes with a logo or rough surfaces.
- Keep a blank margin (quiet zone) of four modules around the code and use dark on light colours.
- Test every printed code on several phones before you print in quantity.
On this page
Static or dynamic?
A static QR code contains your link or text directly. It works forever, needs no account, and nobody can track or switch it off, but it cannot be edited once printed. A dynamic code points to a short link run by a service, which lets you change the destination and count scans, but stops working if the subscription ends. The QR code generator makes static codes. If you need to change the destination later, point the code at a page on your own website that you control.
What you can put in a QR code
- A web link, ideally short. Add campaign tags with the UTM builder to see printed-code visits in your analytics.
- Wi-Fi details, so guests join without typing the password.
- A contact card (vCard), email, phone number or SMS.
- A WhatsApp chat: make a link with the WhatsApp link generator, then turn it into a code.
Error correction
QR codes include spare data so they still scan when part of the code is dirty or damaged. There are four levels:
| Level | Data that can be restored | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| L | About 7% | Screens and clean, large prints |
| M | About 15% | Most printed material (good default) |
| Q | About 25% | Outdoor signs, packaging |
| H | About 30% | Codes with a logo in the middle, rough surfaces |
Higher levels make the code denser, so it needs to be printed larger.
Size, colour and placement
- Size: a practical rule is that the code should be at least one-tenth of the scanning distance wide. For a flyer read at arm's length, 2.5–3 cm is the minimum; a poster read from 3 metres needs about 30 cm.
- Quiet zone: leave a blank margin of four modules (the small squares) on every side. Text or borders that touch the code are a common cause of failures.
- Contrast: dark code on a light background. Inverted (light on dark) codes and pale colours fail on some phones.
- Surface: avoid glossy laminates under bright light, and curved surfaces such as cups and bottles.
Test before you print
Scan the final artwork, not the original file, with at least one iPhone and one Android phone, in normal light, from the distance people will actually stand. Check that the link opens the right page on mobile data, not only on your office Wi-Fi.
Safety: protect the people who scan
Scammers have stuck fake QR codes on parking meters and sent codes by email and text, a trick the US Federal Trade Commission has warned about. Make yours trustworthy: show the destination address next to the code, use your own domain, and on physical signs check now and then that nobody has pasted a sticker over it.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
Sources
Fact-checked against the sources above. We test every tool we mention. Editorial policy.
