Print needs more pixels than a screen does. The generator below is set to a large PNG, and the SVG option has no resolution at all in the way a PNG does, so it prints sharp at any size. Both are free, with no account and no watermark.
The generator runs in your browser. Make a QR code.
Print is measured in DPI, dots per inch, and 300 DPI is the usual floor for anything held in the hand. So the pixel width you need is just the printed width in inches multiplied by 300.
pixels = printed width in inches x 300
1 inch (2.5 cm) -> 300 px
2 inches (5 cm) -> 600 px
4 inches (10 cm) -> 1200 pxAnything above roughly 4 inches is usually a poster or a banner, viewed from further away, and at that point you should stop counting pixels and use the SVG. A vector file has no fixed pixel count, so the same file is correct on a business card and on a two metre banner.
There is a second limit that catches people out. Scanning depends on the size of a single module, one of the small squares, not on the size of the whole code. A dense payload packs more modules into the same area, so a long URL needs a physically bigger code than a short one to stay readable at the same distance. If your code has to be small, shorten the URL before you shrink the code.
Scaling a small PNG up.
Exporting at 300 px and enlarging it in the layout gets you a soft 1200 px image, not a sharp one. Generate at the size you need, or use the SVG.
Re-saving as JPEG.
JPEG compression puts soft haloes on hard edges, and a QR code is nothing but hard edges. Those artefacts eat directly into the scanner's error budget. Keep it PNG or SVG.
Ignoring the substrate.
Ink spreads on uncoated stock, fabric and corrugated card, thickening the dark modules and closing up the gaps. Print bigger than the arithmetic says, and get a proof on the real material.
Laminate and glare.
A gloss finish under a ceiling light can wash out enough of the pattern to stop a scan. Matte survives this better, whatever the resolution.
Use it without an account
Static QR codes need no email, no signup and no account of any kind.
Free PNG and SVG download
Both formats, full resolution, no account. Vector export is the thing most generators put behind a signup.
No watermark, ever
Nothing is stamped on your code on any plan, including the free one.
Static codes never expire
A static code has the URL encoded directly in it. It cannot be switched off later, by us or anyone else.
Your URL never reaches our servers
Static codes are generated entirely in your browser. We could not log what you encode if we wanted to.
Dynamic codes are the only paid part
Trackable, editable codes run through our servers, so they need an account. Free covers 5 codes and 500 scans a month; paid starts at $3.
Static, with one exception: if the destination might change after the run is printed, use a dynamic code, because reprinting is far more expensive than the subscription.
A static QR code has the URL encoded directly in the pattern. It works forever and offline, but the destination can never be changed. A dynamic QR code is a short link that redirects, so you can edit the destination and count scans after the code is printed. Static codes are free here with no account. Dynamic codes need a free account (5 codes and 500 scans a month), and paid plans start at $3/month.
Download a free SVG QR code with no account and no watermark. Vector output stays sharp at any size, from a business card to a trade show banner.
Download a free vector QR code with no account. Get SVG straight from the browser, and convert to EPS or vector PDF when a printer asks for it.
Make a plain black and white QR code free, with no account. Maximum contrast and square modules, which is the most reliable option for printing.
Make a QR code with a transparent background, free and with no account. Download PNG with a real alpha channel, or SVG with no background at all.
Make a QR code that never expires, free and with no account. A static code has the destination encoded in the pattern, so it cannot be switched off.