Sure-QR guide
How to make a QR code
Making a QR code takes under a minute and costs nothing. The part worth thinking about is not how to generate the image — it is deciding, before you print, whether the destination will ever need to change.
Step 1 — Decide static or dynamic
A static code has the destination written inside the image. Nothing is stored anywhere, no account exists, and the code will still work in ten years because there is no service in the middle that can go away. The trade-off is that the destination can never be changed, and you get no scan statistics.
A dynamic code has a short link inside the image, and that short link points wherever you tell it to. You can change the destination after the code is printed, and you can see how many times it was scanned. The trade-off is that it depends on a service continuing to answer that link — which is why every Sure-QR dynamic code makes you pick a fallback destination up front.
If the code is going on something disposable, or points at an address that will never move, static is the right answer. If it is going on packaging, signage, a business card or anything with a print run, choose dynamic.
Step 2 — Choose the content type and fill it in
A QR code can hold more than a web address. Pick the type that matches what should happen when someone scans it, and the phone will do the right thing automatically instead of dumping raw text on the screen.
- URL — opens a web page. The most common choice by a wide margin.
- WiFi — joins a network without typing the password. Useful in cafés, rentals and offices.
- vCard — saves a contact to the phone's address book, for business cards and name badges.
- Email, phone and SMS — start a message or call with the recipient already filled in.
- Location — opens map coordinates.
- Plain text — shows a short message, such as a serial number or care instructions.
Step 3 — Style it, carefully
You can change the foreground and background colour, round the modules and drop a logo in the middle. All of that is free. What matters is contrast: dark code on a light background reads best, and inverting it (light code on dark) fails on a surprising number of older phone cameras.
A logo covers part of the code. That is fine, because a QR code can lose a portion of itself and still be read — but only if the error correction is high enough. When you upload a logo we raise the error correction level automatically, so you do not have to know what that means.
Step 4 — Download the right file
PNG is a picture made of pixels. It is the right file for a website, a slide or a social post. Download it larger than you think you need, because enlarging a PNG afterwards makes it blurry.
SVG is vector artwork. It has no fixed size and stays perfectly sharp whether it is printed on a business card or the side of a van. Give your printer the SVG whenever they will take it.
Then print one at final size and scan it with two different phones before you order the full run.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I make a QR code for free?
- Open the Sure-QR generator, pick a content type such as URL or WiFi, fill in the destination, and download the PNG or SVG. Static codes are unlimited, free and need no account, no card and no email address.
- Do I need an app to make a QR code?
- No. Everything happens in your browser. For static codes the image is generated on your own device and the content is never sent to us.
- How long does a QR code last?
- A static code lasts indefinitely, because the destination is inside the image and does not depend on any service. A dynamic code lasts as long as the short link keeps resolving, which is why the fallback destination matters.
- What size should I print a QR code?
- As a rule of thumb, the code should be at least one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. Two to three centimetres works for something held in the hand; a poster read from three metres needs roughly thirty centimetres.
- Can I change where a QR code points after printing it?
- Only if it is a dynamic code. A static code's destination is part of the image itself and cannot be edited — the only way to change it is to generate and print a new code.