Downloading and printing

Four formats, for both QR codes and barcodes: PNG, JPG, WebP and SVG. PNG is the best all-round choice for screens and print. JPG produces smaller files but flattens onto a white background. WebP is the most compact for web use. The SVG option wraps the rendered image in an SVG container for workflows that expect .svg files; it contains the image at your chosen export size rather than re-drawable vector shapes, so export at a large size if you choose it.

For websites and email, use PNG (best compatibility) or WebP (smallest files). For printing, download PNG at a large pixel size. The export slider goes up to 2000 pixels, which prints crisply at roughly 17 cm / 6.7 in at 300 DPI. For professional print jobs, always hand your printer the largest export rather than scaling a small image up.

Yes. The download dialog has a size slider from 100 up to 2000 pixels. At 2000 pixels a QR code prints cleanly on anything from business cards to A4 posters at 300 DPI. For larger formats like banners, QR codes tolerate lower DPI well because scanners read the module pattern rather than fine detail — but test a sample at distance before committing.

Scaling down is always safe. Scaling up degrades quality: the exports are pixel images, so enlarging a small download produces soft, blurry module edges that scan poorly. The right approach is to re-export at a larger size from the generator (your recent codes are kept in History, and dynamic codes re-render from their saved design). Keep the proportions square, because stretching a QR code non-uniformly can break it.

It controls the quiet zone: the empty border around the code, adjustable from 0 to 50%. Scanners need this clear margin to find the code’s edges; without it, busy surroundings bleed into the pattern and scanning suffers. Keep a visible margin (the default is safe) unless your design already guarantees clear space around the placed code.

Yes. Downloads are standard image files that place into any design or document tool: Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs and the rest. Export at a generous size (1000+ pixels) so you can scale down freely inside the tool, keep the code square, and preserve the surrounding quiet zone when cropping.

Yes, from the History page. Your last 100 generated and scanned codes are saved in your browser, with favorites you can pin. Browser storage is limited, so once it fills up the oldest saved images are released first (favorites last) and those rows stay in the list without a download; nothing else is lost. History also lives only on that device and browser, so it will not follow you to another computer. Dynamic QR codes are different: they are stored with your account, and you can re-download them with their saved design from Dynamic QR Codes on any device.

History

A practical rule: printed size should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance. A code scanned from 25 cm (a table or business card) needs about 2.5 cm; a poster scanned from 3 m needs about 30 cm. Dense codes — long URLs, vCards — need to be larger than simple ones. There is no single universal minimum: size depends on distance, data density, print quality and lighting, which is why a test print at the real size matters more than any rule.

Roughly ten times the code’s printed width, as a rule of thumb — a 3 cm code scans from about 30 cm, a 50 cm code from about 5 m. Modern phone cameras often do better in good light, but plan around the rule: work out your audience’s realistic scanning distance first, then size the code from it, and verify with a real phone at that distance.

The quiet zone is the clear, empty margin around a QR code. Scanners use it to find where the code begins and ends; if text, images or a busy background crowd the edges, detection fails even when the code itself is perfect. Keep a margin of at least four modules (the download dialog’s margin setting handles this) and never crop up to the code’s edge when placing it in a layout.

Yes, all of them. Codes downloaded from ScanMe Online are standard images you can print on anything. Business cards need a code of roughly 2 cm or more; flyers and menus 2–3 cm; packaging benefits from level Q or H error correction; stickers and labels should use matte finishes where possible; banners follow the distance rule (size the code for the farthest realistic scanner). For material that may change later, use a dynamic code so the print never goes stale.

Yes, all three add risk. Curvature distorts the grid, so keep codes small relative to the curve (a code wrapped around a bottle should cover only a modest arc). Glass adds reflections and sometimes tinting; mount the code flat against the inside of the pane and avoid direct light sources behind the scanner. Glossy lamination can produce glare that blinds the camera at certain angles; matte finishes scan more reliably. In every case, raise error correction and test on the actual surface.

Export at the maximum 2000 pixels and aim for 300 DPI at the final printed size, which covers codes up to about 17 cm wide. Larger formats can drop to 150 DPI or below without harming scannability, because scanners read the coarse module pattern, not fine detail. What matters most is that you never upscale a small export: always start from the largest file the generator gives you.

Six things, on a physical sample: (1) scan the actual printed sample with both an iPhone and an Android phone; (2) verify the destination is exactly right — including https and any tracking parameters; (3) check contrast and colors survived printing (screen colors often darken or shift on paper); (4) confirm the quiet zone was not cropped in layout; (5) test at the real scanning distance and in the real lighting; (6) for dynamic codes, confirm the destination page itself is live and mobile-friendly. Only then order the full run.