Free QR code generator

What Is a Static QR Code and Why You Should Know the Difference

A QR code is a two dimensional barcode that carries text, a link, WiFi details or some other record. When a phone points its camera at the code, the scanning app reads that record and performs the corresponding action: opens a website, offers to connect to a network or displays a contact.

With a static QR code, all the data is written directly into the black and white dots. There is no intermediary server, no redirection and no tracking of who scanned the code. That is why such a code keeps working for as long as the image it is printed on exists. Dynamic codes, by contrast, contain a short link to someone else's service, so if that service shuts down the account or starts charging a subscription, the code stops working even if it has been printed on thousands of flyers.

The practical consequence: you cannot change a static code afterwards. If you print a code linking to one page and a month later want a different one, you have to create a new code and replace the printed material. So check the address carefully before printing.

How to Make a QR Code for Print That Scans Easily

The process in the tool is simple: you choose the content type (link, text, WiFi, contact), enter the data and download the file. Far more attention is deserved by print preparation, because that is where people most often go wrong.

1. Choose SVG if the code is going on a flyer, poster, business card or sticker. The vector format scales without any loss of sharpness, so the same file can serve both a business card and a billboard.
2. Use PNG only when you need an image for a screen, for example for a website, email or social media.
3. Leave a white margin around the code. Scanners are confused by a code that touches the edge of the surface or is framed by graphics.
4. Check the contrast. A dark code on a light background is the rule; the reverse (a light code on a dark background) is not read by many phones.
5. Print a test copy at the actual size and scan it with a phone from the distance users will be scanning from.

Pro tip: if the code is going on a dark surface, do not print it in negative. It is better to print the code on a white sticker and apply it to the dark surface. Also avoid transparent stickers over colourful images, because the background changes the contrast and scanning becomes unreliable.

The Most Common Mistakes When Creating a QR Code

The biggest problem is not the code itself but the data inside it. A link with a typo, an address without https:// or a WiFi password with the wrong capital letter works just as badly as a code with no data at all, and you only notice the mistake when someone tries to scan it.

The second common mistake is too much content. The longer the record, the finer the dots and the denser the code, which makes it harder to scan from a distance. For a business card or a shop window sign, it is better to use a short link than a long block of text.

The third mistake is size. A two centimetre code on a poster viewed from three metres simply will not be read. As a rough rule, the code should be large enough for a camera to catch it from the angle it is viewed from, not just from up close.

Finally, many people forget to test the code on multiple devices. One phone reads everything, another struggles with glare or poor lighting. Checking on two or three different models takes a minute and saves you embarrassment.

How to Make a WiFi QR Code for Guests

A WiFi QR code is probably the most useful application of this tool in an office, cafe or apartment you rent out. Instead of dictating the password to guests, they scan it and the phone offers to connect to the network on its own.

In the tool, enter the network name (SSID), the password and the security type (most often WPA/WPA2). Pay attention to upper and lower case letters and to special characters in the password, because they must be entered exactly. If you have two networks, for example a guest one and a home one, create two codes and label them clearly.

Pro tip: if you change the password from time to time, do not stick the code directly on the wall. Print it on a card you can easily replace, or put it in a frame with glass. Also, never give guests the QR code for the main network that your computers and printers are on; set up a separate guest network.

If you need a system where the content of the QR code changes without reprinting, or a solution connected to your internal systems, EVI Solutions can help when the problem goes beyond what a free tool can do.