This page is an online two dimensional code generator which is written in PHP. It can generate QR Code, Data Matrix, Aztec Code and Micro QR Code.
Using the form on this page, you can create two dimensional code images that trigger various actions on the scanner device. Don’t forget to install Qrafter or Qrafter Pro (why two versions?) to scan and generate QR Codes if you have an iPhone or iPad. So far, this page created 4,902,953 codes since I started counting in January, 2010.
Please be sure to read the Notes and FAQ sections below before requesting help in the comments if you encounter any problems with code generation (Especially for Micro QR Codes or backslash characters you may encounter on some codes!).
This page is very popular and because of that, it gets an incredible amount of comment spam. Sometimes legitimate comments can get caught as spam and I can miss them, so if your comment does not appear after some time, you can contact me from the email address on my contact page.
READ THIS FIRST:
I am getting many questions about scanning the codes created on this generator. Most of them are about some problem with the scanner not detecting the content of the code properly. This generator follows established standards strictly and most scanner apps except Qrafter and Qrafter Pro for iOS don’t follow those standards completely. So, if you somehow end up with an unexpected result after scanning a code, it is because that your scanner was developed lousily. If you are on iOS, use Qrafter or Qrafter Pro for guaranteed standards compatibility. For other platforms, please contact the developers of your scanner app to tell them to start following the standards that were established for a reason.
Notes:
You can follow me or Qrafter on Twitter.
QR Code is far more widespread than Data Matrix, Aztec Code or Micro QR Code. Actually Micro QR Code is rarely used and is only given here as a technology preview. If you want to create a campaign for your products using a 2D Code, make sure that you are using QR Codes, not the other types.
Data Matrix and Aztec Code have significantly lower capacity (4096 alphanumeric characters for QR Code, 3067 for Aztec Code and 2335 for Data Matrix), so if you would like to encode a lot of text, select QR Code.
To create the best readable code for long URLs, use one of the URL shortening services so that the resulting code is as small as possible. I personally prefer bit.ly over the others.
Micro QR Code cannot hold more than 35 numeric and 21 uppercase alphanumeric characters, and it can hold even less characters when you use lowercase characters. When encoding a URL into a Micro QR Code, try using all uppercase characters for longer URLs. I don’t know of a scanner that supports Micro QR Code though.
If your input cannot be encoded, the generator will give a warning. In that case, lower the character count in your input and try again.
If your device cannot interpret the encoded 2D Code properly, it probably means your scanner program is written poorly or does not have the capability of decoding that particular code format; or your device does not accept that action, because all codes created by this script and the content within them are compliant to all necessary published standards (vCard standards, URL encoding schemes, NTT DoCoMo standards, etc.).
While we are talking on standards, let me open the topic up a little bit more. Sadly most scanners out there do not follow special character escaping standards. Characters like “:” or “;” are special characters in vCard, meCard or vEvent specifications, and they should be properly escaped for the input to be interpreted correctly. This generator follows these standards correctly, and so a URL field like “http://example.com” becomes “http\://example.com” after escaping. The problem is, some scanners do not know how to handle this escaped character and break altogether. If you encounter such problem, select No for Escape Special Characters in vCard, meCard or vEvent creation. But while you will be able to read those QR Codes in broken scanners, be aware that, your 2D Code will not be standards compliant and you may not be able to add a URL that includes a second colon (for example as a port number separator) or semicolon when you do that. If you are on iPhone or iPad, I strongly suggest that you ditch your broken scanner and download Qrafter or Qrafter Pro. They are fully compliant to said standards. This way, I hope that developers will be forced to create scanners that obey standards that were established for a reason.
Data Matrix, Aztec Code and Micro QR Code do not support characters other than ASCII because of their spec, so if your input has international characters, always use QR Code. Another caveat of Micro QR Code is that, it is not supported by most of the scanner programs out there. As for Kanji and Cyrillic characters, again, only QR Code should support them.
Always use dark colors for foreground color and light colors for background color. If there is not enough contrast between foreground and background colors, your device will most probably fail to decode the code. Another warning: The EPS version I had to use does not support transparency, so you should use another format if you are going to have transparent foreground or background in your codes.
Twitter Profile Image Overlay option overlays your Twitter profile image onto a code that includes your Twitter profile URL. Images created with this option will behave very oddly with vector image formats. You have been warned! 🙂
Currently you can do the following actions with 2D codes generated with this form:
- You can browse to a website.
- You can bookmark a website.
- You can make a phone call.
- You can send a short message.
- You can send an e-mail.
- You can create a vCard (v2.1 or v3.0) with coordinates to add a contact to your device.
- You can create a meCard to add a contact to your device.
- You can create a vCalendar event to add to your calendar.
- You can create iTunes app and review URLs for iOS devices.
- You can create
market://URLs for searching for publishers or packages on Market app for Android. - You can create Foursquare venue URLs.
- You can create special
youtube://URLs for YouTube app on iOS. - You can fetch and encode the latest tweet of a Twitter user.
- You can overlay a Twitter profile image over the code.
- You can create a mobile URL to tweet on Twitter.
- You can connect to a WIFI network on Android devices.
- You can read plain or free formatted text on your device.
You can change the block size of the generated image to make it bigger or smaller. Also, you can change the margin size of the image to add more quiet zone if your decoder cannot decode it (Especially Data Matrix seems to need bigger margin sizes). Error correction level for QR Code (ignored for other code types) can be set to 4 different values and higher values may cause the image to be decoded slightly slower. The 4 values can be explained like this:
- Low (L): Up to 7% of errors can be corrected.
- Medium-Low (M): Up to 15% of errors can be corrected.
- Medium-High (Q): Up to 25% of errors can be corrected.
- High (H): Up to 30% of errors can be corrected.
You can choose PNG, PDF, SVG or EPS outputs. SVG will output a vector image XML file, and you can edit it in applications like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.
Please be aware that while I make checks for illegal characters to protect my server, I do not check your input for a meaningful value.
The image generation is done using third party encoders. I have only written a handy PHP front end that formats your input and passes it to these encoders.
A note about printing from Roy, a fellow user of this generator: When codes are generated, they are created in RGB (my note: yes even if they are black and white, they are in RGB colorspace) and if they are used in printing, they should be converted to grayscale or CMYK so that, when printed, only the black plate is used. This ensures the highest edge resolution, particularly in smaller sizes.
QR Code Scanners:
The best scanner apps for iPhone and iPad are Qrafter and Qrafter Pro. They are available on the App Store. They are designed for both iPhone and iPad and Qrafter is free with advertisements, while Qrafter Pro is paid with no advertisements. They are able to understand all actions on this generator (and more) and are the most advanced scanners for QR Codes on iPhone and iPad.
For Android, the best option seems to be the Barcode Scanner app from ZXing.
For Nokia Maemo/Meego, you can use Mbarcode according to Ryks, another commenter.
For other devices, you may find one, suitable for your device from Kaywa or QuickMark.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED in the United States and other countries.
Qrafter is a registered trademark of Kerem Erkan in the United States, European Union and other countries.
FAQ:
Here is an updating list of frequently asked questions.
Q: Can I change the content of a code I created if I find a mistake?
A: The codes generated on this generator are standalone, which means they have no connection to this generator after being generated. This also means they include the content directly inside them, and if the content needs to change, the generated code image will change. Please test your code images with as many devices and scanner apps as possible to avoid any problems after printing the codes.
Q: Why do I get unwanted characters like a backslash (\) or semicolon (;) in the result when I scan a QR Code?
A: You are using a QR Code reader that cannot parse the contents of QR Codes correctly. Many readers are especially weak at parsing vCards. Use a proper app from the QR Code Scanners list on this page.
Q: Do you harvest the information I enter into this form?
A: No, I don’t use the information you enter to this form in any means. After you create your 2D Code, the information is removed from my server.
Q: Can I track the scan information for the 2D Codes I create on this generator?
A: You can’t track the 2D Codes you create on this generator unless you create your own trackable URL (for example a bit.ly URL) and then enter that URL to generate a QR Code for it on this page.
Q: Do the 2D codes that were created on this generator have an expiration date?
A: No, all codes generated on this generator can be used as long as you want.
Q: Can I use the codes I create on this generator commercially? Do I need to pay any fees?
A: You can use the codes created on this generator both commercially and personally. There are no fees to pay. The only favor I ask back is the promotion of Qrafter or Qrafter Pro on your site as your recommended reader app for iOS devices. But it is only a request, you are not obliged to do that. 🙂
Q: What is the minimum size for a QR Code so that it can be scanned with all devices?
A: The answer to this question cannot be given with exact proportions. New devices with autofocus cameras can scan very small QR Codes, but old devices that don’t have autofocus cameras will have problems with scanning codes smaller than one or two inches. Also it depends on the size of the information that you put into the QR Code. You need to test your QR Code with many devices, old and new to find the best compromise.
Q: Can I overlay an image on top of the QR Code like the one in “Twitter Profile Image Overlay” action of this generator?
A: Yes you can. Create a QR Code with highest error correction and select a vector output. This way, using your preferred image editor, you can overlay an image that’s up to 30% of the QR Code. Be careful not to overlay the image on top of the 3 alignment squares though.
Hi When i use the system and create a QR code for email on my iphone it appears as a notepad looking file with SMTP etc in it plus my message. is tehre a way that Iphone can automatically get an email to open up. My iphone is used for email daily and is set up correctly.. Cheers
Hi Craig,
You most probably are using an inferior scanner. Try Qrafter for scanning QR Codes.
Hello.
Can you add structure form to invoice?
Example: http://qrinvoice.org/
Best regards
Tomasz Szymanski
Hi Tomasz,
I’ll look into it.
I am SO glad I installed Qrafter and purchased the pro upgrade for my iPad. Its universal binary is optimized for the iPad 2 screen size.
There’s a BIG difference between apps that simply iPad compatible but are designed for iPhone. The latter do not rotate, have less pixel resolution and use the narrower keypad. Getting an iPad-native app is well worth the 3 bucks. Plus the pro version generates PNG and vector versions and as a great UI. Recommended on Quora: http://qr.ae/7mN0Y
I have a question about the robust code generator: Qrafter includes options for URL, Twitter, Text, etc.
* Will Qrafter send tweet automatically with Scan and Go enabled?
* What happens if I make a “Tweet” QR code and someone scans it without Qrafter?
* Does it just appear as text?
Thank you for your kind words!
The tweet is not sent automatically when “Scan and Go” is enabled. That would be behaving on the user’s behalf and Qrafter firstly respects its users’ privacy.
When someone scans a tweet QR Code with another scanner, they will see a Twitter URL. When they navigate to that URL and login, the tweet will be prefilled, ready to send.
Kareem, I have a suggestion for an added feature. Generating QR codes in color is great, but I like to take it one step further by always using HIGH error correction, and then overlaying 25% of the generated code with a (PNG) logo.
Example (sized for HIGH EC and block size of 30): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/877562/Client/PN%20Logo%20and%20FB%20Like%20art.png
Overlaying can be done manually with tools as simple as Windows Paint, but my suggestion is to automate this by adding an additional option to upload a file, and then choose a location for QR placement (such as center, lower right corner, etc).
Kareem, you have the BEST generator out there, and the best scanner for iOS! OK, on with my question. For Goo.gl tracking purposes, I have a Google Account and am logged in. Does Google have an API you could use, so that the goo.gl shortened URL automatically gets added to my Google Account? I’ll be teaching a class next month on QR codes, and I’d like to eliminate the extra step of short-URL generation to keep things simple. I guess the same question would apply to bit.ly. Thanks.
PS – Don’t call it ‘tracking’; folks are over-sensitive about privacy. Perhaps ‘statistics’ is a better word.
Hello Kerem,
Please kindly get in touch with me, i have a business preposition for you.
Warm Regards
Hi Kerem,
I need to generate a QR code to use on the back of my client’s skincare packaging, so that consumers can refer to the client’s website for additional product information. Do you have any suggestions regarding block size, margin size and error correction to make this as user friendly and widely applicable as possible?
Hi Cynthia,
There are many variables for this, so I am not able to give you an exact answer. You should create and print the code with your required proportions and test it with as many devices as possible. If the code will be printed to a small area, keep error correction at the lowest level so that the generated code has less blocks in it.
Thank you, very cool and yes if we can put this code to work we’ll get you a donation coming.
Glad to be able to help Paul.
Love your generator! I am having a slight issue trying to create a 2-day calendar event. Everything looks great in the initial open – the date displays as two days. However when I add it to my calendar, the start time and end time are both the same day (the first day of the event). Can you help?
This seems to be a scanner issue. The scanner may be interpreting the days wrongly.
Do you have an android app?
No, but considering creating one.
Yeah, really very useful and lot’s of different choices!
This is a great site for QR Codes. I’m a graphic designer & finding a generator that produces a true vector image (not just a png or jpg saved as eps) has been really hard for me to find. Your codes work great. Thank you so much for this!
Kerem thanks for your help I just hope I saved it right since I am using a MacBook. I saved it to downloads which was my only option when using what was my right click. if not let me know so I can fix it. thanks again I really hope this helps generate some clients for me.
You have done it correctly.
Hi Kerem, I love your site I am new to the QR world and would like to use a QR code to link people to my Website which is still under construction. Because I am new to this I am not sure what I should choose for some of the questions on your form. Can you help please?
Hi Melissa,
The defaults should be sufficient for your use. Select “Browse to a Website”, enter your URL, generate the code and right click on the code to save it.
QRafter is so good. I wish that there was a way to splice your reader into good iPhone apps that have crappy readers like Shopsavvy. Maybe you should sell them your code.
Also, there seems to be a lot of interest in putting logos into QR codes. I was thinking that there could be an added feature for QRafter Pro to show how close the reed solomon error rate is to failure on a given code. I suspect that adjusting the image location, content and size could permit better residual error correction and larger effective images. You could also adjust the error correction setting in generating the codes to optimize the appearance of the overall image.
Hi Ted,
Thank you very much for your feedback. I am not sure that adding a logo onto a QR Code directly inside Qrafter would be a good idea. It is much better to do it using Qrafter’s vector output, a computer and an image processing program that supports vector images, like Adobe Illustrator. Using an app on a mobile device for this would be too error prone in my humble opinion.
Hey Ted, placing logos and such are pretty easy when you use the HIGH error correction setting.
I use Kerem’s code as the base QR for all of my Custom Codes and as long as I don’t go nuts on the design, I get a high scan rate even with a TON of code manipulation.
Hello Kerem
I’m still trying to produce the original 21×21 code that I made for my web site – http://www.convivialcamera.com/ – but no luck. The 21×21 code is the front page of the web site and is also in the page itself, so can be checked.
Is it possible to re-generate the original code?
Hope you can help, all the best, Tony Hall
Hi Tony,
Try generating a code for http://J.MP/lgMuip (take note of the uppercase letters).
Hi Kerem,
Good service. Used it routinely until I discovered your EPS generation buggers up the color. Driving me crazy until I compared a PNG output to the EPS I was dropping into OmniGraffle. Quite noticeable. For example, use #6792A4 to generate a PNG file and then an EPS file. You will discover that the EPS is actually #81919D. Am I doing something wrong? The other QR code generation services (e.g. http://delivr.com/qr-code-generator) generate the correct color.
Thx.
I’ll look into it Gary, thanks.
Hi Kerem,
Great generator you have made.
I have problem with characters like öäå etc.
How can I fix that problem?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Janne,
You shouldn’t have problems with those characters. You may be using a reader app that has problems.
Tip: You can open the eps in Illustrator and change selected areas of the code eg. the big squares in the corners to different colours to match your companies corporate identity. As long as you use fairly strong colours of course.
Hi Kerem, thanks for this wonderful resource. I’ve used this page to generate some QR codes and also used a QR Code as the basis for my web site.
I have a question. Can I still generate a 21×21 cell QR Code (version 1) from here – and how – I seem to have lost the technique since last making a code.
Tony, select the lowest error correction and enter a small input. Code size is automatic, so if you enter an input that cannot be encoded into a 21×21 code, the size will have to grow.