QR code guides
Notes on making QR codes that still scan once they are printed, on ordinary phones and in poor light. The generator these guides refer to is free and needs no sign-up.
QR code basics
How the format works, which makes every other choice easier to understand.
Codes by what they do
Wi-Fi, contact cards and the other things a QR code can carry besides a link.
How to make a Wi-Fi QR code
A Wi-Fi QR code stores the network name, security type and password. Scanning it joins the network, so nobody has to type the password or read it out.
5 min readHow to make a vCard QR code for your business card
A vCard QR code carries your name, phone, email and company as structured contact data, so scanning it opens a prefilled “add contact” screen instead of a web page.
5 min read
Where codes get used
Menus, events and packaging, and what each of them asks of a printed code.
QR code menus for restaurants and cafés
Menu codes have their own problems: restaurants are often dimly lit, laminated cards cause glare, and diners give up quickly if the code does not scan straight away.
6 min readQR codes for events, invitations and tickets
An event code has two jobs: before the day it saves the date and the address, and on the day it has to work in a crowd with no signal.
6 min readQR codes on product packaging and labels
On packaging, a QR code is printed small on a surface that may curve or shine, and any mistake is repeated across the whole print run.
6 min read
Design and branding
Brand colours, logos and pictures, without breaking the parts a scanner reads.
How to add a logo to a QR code (without breaking it)
A logo can cover roughly the middle 20–25% of a QR code's width, because error correction stores enough redundancy to rebuild the hidden modules. Beyond that, scanners start to fail.
6 min readArtistic QR codes: blending a picture into a scannable code
Artistic QR codes keep each module's average brightness while varying the detail inside it, so a picture shows through and a scanner still reads the same data.
5 min read
Scanning and printing
How to size and test a code so it scans on paper and in poor light.
Why won't my QR code scan? A checklist
Almost every QR code that will not scan fails for one of eight reasons, and you can check all eight in about two minutes.
7 min readHow big should a QR code be when printed?
Divide the distance people will scan from by ten: that is the minimum width of the code. A code read from 30 cm needs about 3 cm; from 5 m it needs 50 cm.
5 min read