A code that will not scan is worse than no code at all, because it wastes the moment someone decided to try. Most failures come down to a handful of avoidable mistakes. Here are the rules that matter.
Generating a QR code takes seconds. Designing one that people actually scan takes a little thought, and it is thought worth having, because a code that fails on the wall does more harm than a missing code. It burns the rare moment when a passer-by decided you were worth the effort. The good news: the rules are few, physical and easy to follow.
A scanner reads a QR code by telling dark squares from light ones. Anything that muddies that distinction makes its job harder. The safest choice by far is a dark code on a light background, the way the format was designed to be read. Reversing it, a light code on a dark background, works less reliably and trips up some scanners entirely.
Brand colours are fine, within reason. A deep navy or a rich burgundy code on white will scan happily. A pale pastel code, or a code laid over a busy photograph, asks the camera to guess where the squares are. If you want colour, keep the code much darker than whatever sits behind it, and test it before it goes anywhere near a printer.
Every QR code needs a margin of empty space around it, often called the quiet zone. It is not padding for looks. Without it, the scanner cannot tell where the code stops and the busy world begins, and it is the single most common reason a code that looks perfect refuses to scan. Designers crowd artwork, text or a border right up to the edge of the squares, and quietly kill the code.
Leave a clear margin roughly the width of four of the code’s own squares on every side. It costs you a little space and buys you the difference between a code that works and one that does not.
Size follows distance. A code on a table tent that people scan from thirty centimetres away can be small. A code on a shop window that people scan from across the pavement, or a billboard read from a passing car, has to be far larger than instinct suggests. A widely used guideline is a ratio of about ten to one: for every unit of scanning distance, the code should be about a tenth of that wide.
When in doubt, go larger. A code that is slightly too big costs you nothing; a code that is too small to resolve costs you every scan.
A code with no context is a dare, not an invitation. The best-performing codes sit beside a short, plain line telling people what they get for scanning: the menu, the offer, the guide, the tickets. Curiosity alone converts a few people. A clear reward converts many more.
And whatever you send them to must work on a phone, because a phone is the only thing that will ever scan it. A slow page, a desktop-only layout or a form that fights a small screen wastes the scan you just earned. The design of the code and the design of its destination are one job, not two.
The most common cause is a crowded quiet zone: the code needs a clear empty border, roughly four squares wide, to stand out from what surrounds it. Low contrast and a code that is too small for the scanning distance are the next most common reasons.
A dark code on a light background is the most reliable, because scanners read the code by telling dark squares from light ones. Brand colours are fine if the code stays much darker than its background; avoid pale codes and busy photo backgrounds.
Size to the scanning distance, using a rough ten to one ratio: the code should be about a tenth as wide as the distance people scan it from. A code on a window or billboard needs to be far larger than one on a menu.
Yes. Error correction lets a code lose up to about 30% of its area at the highest level and still scan, so a modest central logo is fine. Keep it small, keep contrast strong, and always test the finished code before printing.
Free while in beta, with no card required. Design a branded QR code, route each scan by day or time, and never reprint.
Get started free