QR codes bridge print and web for business cards, posters, shop signage, guest Wi-Fi and event registration. The catch with many free generators is that they embed a short link through their own servers, then start charging or shut down — and every code you already printed stops working.
This generator encodes your content directly into the image. There is no redirect in the middle, so a printed code keeps working even if this site disappears. URL, Wi-Fi, contact card (vCard), email, SMS, phone and geo types are supported, with control over colour, size and error correction, exportable as PNG or SVG.
How to use
- Choose the content type — Select what the code should carry. The input fields change to match, and the correctly formatted payload string is generated for you.
- Fill in the details — For a URL, include the full address with
https://. For Wi-Fi, enter SSID, password and security type; for a contact, name, organisation, phone and email. The exact encoded string is shown below the preview. - Adjust the design — Set size, quiet zone and colours. Keep strong contrast between foreground and background — dark modules on a light background is the reliable arrangement, and inverting it fails on some scanners.
- Export as PNG or SVG — PNG suits screens; SVG scales without loss and is the right choice for print. For a business card or poster, take the SVG straight into your design tool.
Frequently asked questions
Do these codes expire or have scan limits?
No. The content is encoded directly in the image, so the code has no relationship with this site or any account.
The flip side is that you cannot change the destination later. If you need that flexibility after printing, encode a redirect URL on a domain you control (https://yourdomain/promo) and change where it points on your own server.
Can I put a logo in the middle?
Yes, within limits.
QR codes carry Reed-Solomon error correction, so part of the image can be obscured. Raise error correction to H (30%) and keep the logo under about 20% of the total area, centred, and scanning generally still works. But higher correction packs more modules into the same square, which hurts readability at small print sizes.
Always test the finished code on several devices and lighting conditions.
How large should I print it?
A useful rule of thumb is one tenth of the scanning distance. At 30cm, print at least 3cm across.
Business cards typically use 2–2.5cm, an A4 poster 4–5cm, and wall signage scales with viewing distance. The code also needs a quiet zone of at least four modules around it — dropping the margin below 2 here will hurt reliability, so keep the default or higher for anything printed.
Which devices support Wi-Fi QR codes?
The built-in camera app on iOS 11+ and Android 10+ recognises them and prompts to join the network.
Semicolons and backslashes in the password would break the payload format, so they are escaped automatically. Choose WPA for WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 networks alike, and pick 'none' only for genuinely open networks.
Concepts worth knowing
How a QR code is structured
The three large squares in the corners are finder patterns; a scanner uses them to determine orientation and skew, which is why any angle works. The dotted lines between them are timing patterns that establish the module grid.
Data fills the remaining area in a zigzag, with a mask pattern applied so that same-coloured modules do not clump — clumps would otherwise be mistaken for finder patterns.
The error correction trade-off
The four levels L (about 7%), M (15%), Q (25%) and H (30%) indicate how much damage can be recovered. Higher levels add correction data, so the same content produces a denser code.
M is sufficient for screens and clean print. Use Q or H for outdoor signage that may be scuffed, or when you plan to overlay a logo — and increase the physical size to compensate, so individual modules remain resolvable by a camera.
vCard and contact codes
vCard is the standard electronic business card format: plain text between BEGIN:VCARD and END:VCARD carrying name, organisation, title, phone, email and URL. Scanning one opens the contact-save screen on most phones.
The more you include, the denser the code. Adding a photo or a long address can make a business-card-sized print unreadable, so it is often more practical to include only the essentials — or a single URL to a profile page.