QR Code and 2D Code Generator

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 4,994,970 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.

Select a Code Action:
Code Type: QR Code (recommended)
Data Matrix (only ASCII chars)
Aztec Code (only ASCII chars)
Micro QR Code (only ASCII chars)
Bookmark Title: *
Web Site URL: *
Phone Number: *
SMS Message:
Mail Recipient: *
Subject:
Body:
Escape Special Characters (like colon, semicolon or comma): Yes
No
IMPORTANT: Please check notes on escaping in Notes section.
Version: 2.1
3.0
vCard Type: Real Person
Company
First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Organization:
Title:
E-Mail Address:
Mobile Phone:
Video Call Phone:
Work Phone:
Work Fax:
Home Phone:
Work Address: Street:
City:
State:
ZIP Code:
Country:
Home Address: Street:
City:
State:
ZIP Code:
Country:
Address: Street:
City:
State:
ZIP Code:
Country:
Work Web Address:
Home Web Address:
Web Address:
Birthday:
Event Format: Fully Compliant to iCalendar Standard Compliant to ZXing Proposal
Event Summary: *
Event Description:
Full Day Event: Yes (Only uses start date and end date) No (Also uses start time and end time)
Start Date:
Start Time:
End Date:
End Time:
Text: *
NOTE: Google Maps will be used to select the coordinates, but the resulting url will be a Bing Maps URL.
Location Name:
 
Twitter User: *  
Prepend username before tweet
Twitter User: *
Text to Tweet: *
Search Type: Publisher Search Exact Package Name
Market Search: *
Package Name: *
Youtube Video ID: *  
Enter either only the YouTube video ID or full URL for the video.
iTunes App ID: *  
Enter either only the App ID or full URL for the app on iTunes.
Venue ID: *  
Enter either only the venue ID or full URL for the venue.
Facebook Status: *
BBM Pin: *
SSID: *
Password:
Network Type:
URL Shortening:
(will use full url in case of error)
Error Correction Level:
(only for QR Code)
Block Size in Pixels:
Margin Size in Blocks:
Output Type:
Foreground Color:     Transparent
Background Color:     Transparent
Qrafter Banner

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.

1,121 thoughts on “QR Code and 2D Code Generator”

  1. Alaina D

    You said you are working on getting analytics for your generator, how’s that coming? I’m trying to make a qr code for print and really would like analytics (more then just number of clicks) but don’t want to pay a lot.

    Any advice?

    And thank you Daniel Robichaud for the scaling question. I was running into trouble with it working when I was scaling it down without editing it in illustrator.

    Reply
    2. David Whiting

      I have been using google analytics for tracking QR code scans by creating a URL with google tracking tags, shortening it, and generating the QR code. Scans can be viewed using “advanced segments” in google analytics.
      http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/topic.py?topic=11096
      It’s a bit tedious to set up/manage but is serves well while anticipating a more complete and seamless solution.

      (BTW…thanks to Kerem for the best QR generator, and for Qrafter, the best iphone app for QR codes!)

      Reply
  2. Daniel Robichaud

    What if someone doesn’t have a reader yet on their phone? What happens when they scan the code? Are they prompted to download a reader (from a list?), or is it done automatically?

    I don’t have a smartphone, so I can’t troubleshoot… thanks.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Without a reader, the code cannot be scanned. You’ll need to add an explanation with the QR Code that leads people to QR Code scanning software.

      Reply
  4. Daniel Robichaud

    Great, just got Firefox and it works fine. Thanks.

    I’m working on creating a relatively small QR code, roughly 1″x1″. I don’t have tons of experience with QR, and I’m basically shooting in the dark when it comes to whether or not I should use short URL, error correction, block size, and margin size…

    Any basic advice as far as these parameters go? I’d appreciate any advice. Of course, my goal is to be able to make a QR code this size (1×1) that can be read by as many mobile phones and QR scanners as possible.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      If it is a URL, use URL shortening. Also be aware that old phones like iPhone 3G will not be able to scan your code because they don’t have autofocus. You don’t need to change any parameters, and if you will print this code, make sure you select SVG output to open and scale it in vector editing programs..

      Reply
  5. Daniel Robichaud

    Hi,

    I’m having trouble creating a QR code. When I click Generate Code, it just goes to a dark screen for a while, then goes away, but that’s it… any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Dan

    Reply
  6. chad

    kerem,
    i noticed something about the way your scanner looks up package names. when i try to put the package name in, how i search for it in the market, i get back from the market ‘can’t find package pname:package’.
    did some research on it and if you leave off the pname behind search= that you can enter the standard name of the package instead of com.android.package.
    maybe make another selection, market name or package name.
    take care

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Thanks Chad,

      Being a non-Android guy, I took this info from ZXing’s Wiki. So I did not know that you could also search without pname. I’ll update the generator accordingly.

      Reply
    1. Kerem

      Qrafter is more sensitive to contrast differences (like all other apps that use ZXing API) than some readers like i-nigma. Try to use a darker red on the upper squares and Qrafter will be able to read the code. Also you should use high error correction when you are going to manipulate QR Codes like this (adding images or words onto QR Codes).

      Hope this helps.

      Reply
  8. christian boyce

    I have an idea for how to use QR codes. Now all we need to do is make it happen. Here’s the idea: a company like HP, which makes way too many different models of printer, could put a QR code on a sticker on the printer, so when I want to find out something about the printer (like how to configure it to scan over a network or something like that) I could scan the code and go straight to the correct web page. Knowing HP, they would probably take me to “www.hp.com” and then I’d have to search for the proper manual, but if they did it right the QR code would take me directly to the exact page I needed.

    Of course if the instructions were simple they could be stored in the QR code as free-formatted text, but I think a code stuck to the printer that takes me to the product page would be very useful and helpful. I may retrofit some of my equipment with codes on stickers here while I wait for the rest of the world to catch up!

    Reply
  10. christian boyce

    I see. I thought it was the QR code’s requirement. That makes sense. I saw the option to NOT escape the “:” but hopefully, you can figure out a way to “do it right” according to vCard, meCard, and vEvent standards, while somehow allowing non-compliant code reader programs to ignore the escaping slash. Thanks again for everything.

    Reply
  11. christian boyce

    About escaping special characters: I created a “Create a vCard” QR Code with your code generator (including my web page address) and then I created a “Browse to a Website” QR Code with the same URL. When scanned using an Android phone’s Barcode Scanner program, my website URL looked like “http\://christianboyce.blogspot.com” in the vCard QR code, but “http://christianboyce.blogspot.com” in the “Browse to a Website” URL. It is the same with some of the iPhone QR code readers too– they display the escaping “\” in the URL of a vCard code, but there’s no “\” showing in the “Browse to a Website” codes.

    I know that technically speaking, escaping the special character “:” is the right thing to do, but it looks like you are not doing it in the “Browse to a Website” codes. I am torn between “forcing” others to make standard-compliant QR code readers, which is the “right” thing to do, and the other choice, which is making QR codes that work in more situations. Can you give me some advice here? Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Escaping the characters is needed in vCard, meCard and vEvent QR Codes. It’s not the requirement of QR Codes, it’s the requirement of vCard, meCard and vEvent. So, of course, in “Browse to a Website” action, “:” should not be escaped. Actually, escaping “:” is optional, and I’ll make the generator smarter in escaping the special characters, because the reader developers are very slow at adopting at standards, and that hurts QR Codes.

      Reply
  12. stephen

    Hi
    first, this is the /best/ qr code generator I have ever used, thank you soooo much, it rocks. all the controll you get over the encoding and all of the features.

    Anyway, do you think you will support the “structured append”(splitting data up into 1-16 separate codes)feature of qr codes anytime soon? that would be very useful.
    thanks

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Hi Stephen,

      Thank you! I haven’t seen a successful real world example of structured append QR Codes to this day. So I am not sure if I should support them. 🙂

      Reply
      1. stephen

        I see, do you mean you haven’t seen an application of them (as in, you haven’t sean them usefully used).

        I have been using qrcodes to store animated gifs and small html pages (yes I’m putting them directly on the barcode using data urls, I do this for ipod touch/ipad users who don’t always have an internet connection). But I am constantly running out of room (anything over ~1.5k doesn’t scan well) so I was hopping you would support it, because I really like your encoder (although I’v been working on my own, not only to support this, but also to support raw binary data (30% smaller gifs because I don’t need base64))
        thanks for replying and sorry I took so long to reply. 🙂

        Reply
  14. Sabrina

    I generated a code but I cannot figure out how to save it. I want to send it to my printer to put it on my business cards and also want to use it on FB, etc. Any help would be appreciated thank you!

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Just right click on the image and save it that way. If you’ll use it on printing material like business cards, you should also select SVG output, so that it is easier to use in designing process.

      Reply
  15. Dirk Simon

    Your solution for vCard format in this updated version is the first i found to work perfectly!! Grat deal! I will recommend qrafter for all people i know! You should sell the app for some cent – i would pay!

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Thanks Dirk!

      I want to keep Qrafter free because that way I get much more feedback and can update it with many new ideas. But you can buy the advertisement removal in app purchase to support Qrafter. 😉

      Oh, and please review it on the App Store if you like it. That makes a real difference.

      Reply
  16. Dave

    This is by far the best generator I have come across, thank you for sharing! Any chance there is reminder functionality coming to the calendar generator in an upcoming version? It would be cool for people to save an event, but get a reminder prior to it.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      It’s hard to do such thing to support all devices, but I will probably do it for iPhone when the scanner app is Qrafter. It can’t be a generic thing to support every device.

      Reply
  17. Moonshine Framing

    Very good QR generator, Kerem. The best I’ve tried so far. I made a QR code a few days ago, printed it out and put it in our shop window. Didn’t have to be too big either, about 10cmx10cm did the job, and spotted people pointing their phones at it already.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      If you are running a shop and you have your shop on Foursquare, try creating a venue URL QR Code for your shop and scan it with Qrafter. 🙂

      Reply
  18. Jul

    Trying to create a link to an Android App. The search comes up but says that there were no matches for it in the android market. I’m using the name of the app in the “Market Search” is there something else I should be using there?

    Reply

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