How to make a QR code
Most free QR generators point at their own server first. This encodes your link directly, so nothing can expire it.
A QR code is a picture of some text. Scanning it reads the text back — usually a URL. It is not a link to a service; the data is in the pattern.
Step-by-step
- Enter your text or URL.
- Choose a size and error correction level.
- Download as PNG or SVG.
The problem with most free QR generators
Many encode a short URL pointing at their own service, which then redirects to yours. They call it "dynamic". Two consequences follow: they count every scan, and if they go out of business or move to a paid plan, every code you printed stops working.
Codes generated here contain your URL directly. Nobody counts the scans, and there is no service in the middle that can stop existing. The trade-off is that you cannot change the destination later — which is the honest price of a code that cannot be switched off by anyone else.
Error correction
QR codes carry redundancy so they scan when damaged. Higher levels tolerate more damage and make the pattern denser.
- Low — clean digital use.
- Medium — a sensible default for print.
- High — anything that will be handled, weathered, or printed with a logo over the middle.
Printing
Use SVG for print, so it stays sharp at any size. Keep the quiet zone — the empty margin — clear; a code printed hard against other artwork often will not scan. And test the printed code with a real phone before ordering a thousand of them.
Frequently asked questions
Will the code expire?
No. Your URL is encoded directly in the pattern, so there is no service in the middle that can expire, rebrand or start charging.
Can I track scans?
Not with this. Tracking requires a redirect through a server, which is exactly the arrangement that lets a third party count your scans and switch off your code.
What size should I print it?
As a rough rule, at least a tenth of the scanning distance — a code read from two metres wants to be about twenty centimetres across. Always test the printed result.
Open the QR code generator →