QR codes for links, contacts and more

A QR code is just text in a square pattern. What a phone does with it depends on that text: open a web page, add a contact, start an e-mail or show a place on a map. Printshop builds the code after the QR standard (ISO/IEC 18004) and prints it at true size.

Pick what the code contains

1. Click QR code in the column of printables on the left (or press 1).
2. Under Content, open The code contains and choose one of:
3. Web address — type the full address, starting with https://.
4. Plain text — any text, shown on the phone as it is.
5. Wi-Fi login — network name and password (see the Wi-Fi tutorial).
6. Contact card — name, organisation, phone, e-mail, website, address and a note, as a vCard.
7. E-mail address, with an optional Subject and Message.
8. Phone number or Text message (SMS).
9. Map location — latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, for example 52.3676, 4.9041.

The info lines below the preview show the QR version (its size in modules), the error-correction level, the mask and how much of the code's capacity the data uses.

Error correction and size

Error correction decides how much of the code may be dirty or covered and still scan:

• L about 7 %, M about 15 %, Q about 25 %, H about 30 %.

Higher levels make the code denser. For a code on a poster or a table card M or Q is a good choice; use H when you put a logo in the middle.

Code width (mm) is the width including the white border. Keep the Quiet zone (modules) at 4 — phones need that white margin. The info line "Module size" tells you how big one small square is: above about 0.33 mm most phones read it from close up; for a poster that is read from a distance, make the code bigger.

Leave room for a logo

Drag Logo-safe area in the centre to, say, 20 %. Printshop clears a square in the middle and checks, block by block, whether the error correction can still restore the missing codewords. The info line says whether the logo area is within the error correction. If it is too large, choose level H or a smaller area. Place your logo into that square later in an editor.

Colours, caption and layout

Change Dark colour and Light colour if you like, but keep dark on light and strong contrast; Printshop warns you when the contrast is too low or the colours are inverted. Add a Caption under the code, such as "Scan for the menu". Under Layout, choose One code on the page or A sheet of copies.

Export

Download PDF gives a vector page with a test square. Export → Download this page as SVG gives a file for design programs; the PNG options make an image at 150 or 300 dpi. Test the printed code with several phones before printing many.

"QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

Next: Barcodes for products and shelves.