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 4,998,672 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. melcher

    Is there a set of US standard applications calls you’ve implemented in the encoding? I’m seeing a broad range of URIs or AIs and obviously in the input text is different the output images will also differ, perhaps significantly. For instance, I’m seeing calls to initiate text messaging begin with SMS: or SMSTO: or TEXT: or TXTTO: …

    Anyhow, which if any standard, beyond NTT DOMOCO, do you like?

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      I am following both NTT DOCOMO and ZXing project of Google. Most standards were established by NTT DOCOMO and we are basically following them and adding a few on top of that.

      Reply
  2. Ryan

    Hi, apologies if this was posted already but looks like there is a bug with the Event Description field when creating vCalendar event barcodes.

    If you enter a URL in this field (ex: http://www.google.com) when the barcode is scanned and decoded, a backslash appears before the colon (ex: http\://www.google.com)

    Reply
  3. gavin

    How does one size down the generated QR barcode to let us say a 20mmx20mm size or does the amount of information that you inbed into the barcode determine the actual size?
    BTW great generator!

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      The information amount and block size determine the final image size. But it is easy to edit the generated code in an image editing application and change the size to your desired level. Thanks for the compliments. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Luc

    Hi Kerem,
    Nice application, have you some informations about the way to define the area of the Qr-code which could be hide without too much effect on readability for art modifications?
    Thanks for help
    Luc

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Hi Luc.

      Thanks. You can find the error correction levels on the Notes section. For example, you can create a code with high error correction rate and change up to %30 of it.

      Reply
  5. M J

    I’m having problems with the vCalendar QR Code. I have tried several different settings, but the wrong time keeps showing for the event. Everything else looks good. 19:00 is mapping to 12pm and 22:00 as 3:00:59pm pretty consistently. Does the time zone have something to do with it?

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Hi. I was generating the times with UTC time zone and your reader was correctly parsing it. I have removed the time zone from the generator, so it should pick the time zone of your device now. As most QR Codes are locally used, I don’t think this will be a problem, but I will add a time zone selection option in the future. Can you test again and give feedback?

      Thanks.

      Reply
  6. Sam

    Hey Kerem,

    I really like what you’ve done here; this does seem like one of the most comprehensive QR generators I’ve seen so far.

    One thing that I’m wondering about is whether it is possible to create a more flexible generator?

    I’m asking because for my purposes, I wish to create a QR code that would contain all my online contact details – so, my email, my website address, and some social networking sites too. I also might want my mobile number on there.

    But so far, I haven’t found any generators that have those fields, or a generator that allows you to have that kind of flexibility in fields you include.

    I realise what I’m talking about would be more technically challenging, but are there limitations in the standard that prevent this too?

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Hi Sam,

      Thanks for your kind words. To answer you question, yes it can be done, and it is easy. You basically want a vCard in your QR Code that includes more than one URL. It is not about the generator, it is about the front-end form. If I knew about web technologies like AJAX a little more, I would create a form that could add multiple fields of the same type like URLs. The back-end is much easier to code for me 🙂

      Reply
    1. Kerem

      The purpose of this is, to create a quick way for your customers to contact you. You can create a code that helps your customer send you an SMS with a body like “Please give more information”. If the customer scans the code and sends this SMS to you, you can reply, call or do whatever you like.

      Reply
  9. Sol

    Nice site, When you say, It can send SMS. Is that sending and SMS out from my phone number to the readers phone or is it that you send an SMS to me.

    Reply
  11. Mimi KIm

    Hi
    I agree with Tommy that your generator is very good!!!
    I try to make qr code…
    I need to know output type for web site and printing. what kind of output type do I need to use for web and printing? Please let me know..
    Thanks a lot.

    Reply
      1. Mimi KIm

        wow, so fast reply~
        Thanks a lot!
        I have a plan to make more fancy design my qr code and have a data from company
        If you can do it, please let me know later.
        Thanks. ^^

        Reply
  12. Filip

    Encountered a strange problem, the input url was the following

    http://….mobile-dm&ns_type=clickout

    But the url that my reader confirms after scanning the generated code is:

    Encountered a strange problem, the input url was the following:

    http://….mobile-dm=&ns_type=clickout

    Note the “=” that the QR code generator added for no reason, restulting in a false URL

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Hi Filip,

      This is a rare case, which is, you give a variable name and don’t give it a value, which is mobile-dm in this situation. And the generator tries to standardize the URL because you know, not everyone can enter fully correct URLs (some people enter spaces, or other characters that should be encoded). I did not take this case into account, but it was an easy fix, now variables without values won’t have the equals sign appended to them.

      Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply
  15. Lance

    Aloha Kerem
    Just started using this today – created a few, saved them as a png, then opened in paint resaved as jpg, then readjusted the size. Posted it my Facebook page and it worked great.
    I may be going about it the long way – but I will have it figured out soon.

    Wanted to say Mahalo – worked great for me

    Reply
  16. Chris

    Excellent generator, I am distracted by thoughts of what I could be doing with QR Code!

    I made a vCard though with my map coordinate and scanned it with Quickmark 4 on the iPhone. It transposed the co-ordinates and put the marker on the other side of the world!

    I don’t know if thats the encoder or the decoder that switched them round but I thought i’d let you know.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Chris, that was the encoder’s problem. Seems like Google Maps and vCard have different orders for latitude and longitude and I completely missed that. Thank you very much! Corrected it now.

      Reply
  17. Chad

    So in regards to the Blackberry contact issue mentioned by Paul. Is there a scanner that you can recommend that won’t give that problem?

    Reply
  18. Paul

    Hi Kerem, great generator! I’ve been playing around with the vCard function and tested scanning it to add a contact to my BlackBerry address book- my scanner reads the information successfully, but doesn’t store it to the address book. Any ideas?

    Reply
  19. Dymentali

    Kerem, is it possible to include separate fields for city, state, and zip? I tried but it keeps putting all the info in the main address line for iphone contacts and outlook. Used your vCard 3.0 code action. Any advice is appreciated.

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Yes, it is possible. I am just lazy about it. I am working on a better site to host the generator on, and I will include the changes you wanted, on that site.

      Reply
  20. Eric Boxer

    Fantastic work! I was wondering if you could add a second URL or something to the vcard / mecard? Ideally i would love to be able to add my twitter info…

    Reply
    1. Kerem

      Thanks Eric. It can be added to vCard, but not meCard (it does not support multiple URLs). I will look to add another URL in the future.

      Reply

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