What a static QR code is
This generator encodes your text straight into the pattern. Scan it and the phone reads the URL itself: no redirect service, no account, no expiry, and no scan tracking. The encoder runs in your browser and picks the smallest code that fits. Digits-only text uses numeric mode and upper-case text uses alphanumeric mode, which both pack more characters into the same space. Everything else is stored as UTF-8 bytes. Most scanners read that correctly, but test text with accents or emoji on a couple of phones.
Want to know how many people came from a poster? Build the URL with the UTM builder first (for example utm_source=poster&utm_medium=qr), then paste it here. Your analytics will show those visits separately. It counts visits, not scans.
Settings that matter when you print
- Error correction. Levels L, M, Q and H can restore roughly 7%, 15%, 25% and 30% of the data. DENSO WAVE, which holds the QR Code trademark, says M is the most common choice, with Q or H for codes that may get dirty.
- Quiet zone. The spec asks for a margin four modules wide on every side. Don’t crop it off, and don’t put text or a busy background right up against the code.
- Colours. Dark modules on a light background. Brand colours are fine if the contrast stays high. Light-on-dark (inverted) codes don’t scan in some reader apps.
- Size. There’s no single minimum. The more modules in the code and the further away people stand, the bigger it must be. Use the SVG for print; it stays sharp at any size.
Test before you print
Print one copy at the real size and scan it with at least two different phones, ideally an iPhone and an Android, in the light where it will hang. Check that the link opens the right page on mobile. If a scan is slow, shorten the URL or raise the error correction level and print it bigger. Putting it on a launch flyer? The press kit generator and launch checklist cover the rest of launch week.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. The company says you can use QR codes without a licence or fee.