QR code guides

Practical, tested advice on making QR codes that work the first time, for rentals, cafés, print and everything in between.

All guides

30 October 2026

Me-QR alternative: Free QR codes with no ads when scanned

A free Me-QR code holds Me-QR's link, not yours. In our test 21 of 29 scans opened a watch an ad to continue page first.

5 October 2026

Canva QR code generator: 6 things to check before you print

Static or dynamic, contrast, a logo in the middle, size, file format and a test as a stranger. Six checks with numbers from our own tests.

3 October 2026

QRStuff QR code generator: What it does and what to check

What QRStuff offers, what its own pages say about expiry, scan limits and plans, and where those pages do not obviously agree with each other.

1 October 2026

Online QR code generator: What to check before you use one

We expected a low resolution download to stop a printed code scanning. It did not. Files from 128 px to 2000 px all failed at exactly the same point.

21 September 2026

vCard QR code generator with photo: What fits, how to make

A 32 pixel thumbnail takes the code from 45x45 to 125x125 modules, needing 53 mm of print. A real photo does not fit the format at all.

21 September 2026

QR code for a business card: What actually fits

We measured what a vCard costs in printed millimetres. A full contact card needs 27.6 mm, half the height of a card. A link needs 14.8 mm.

19 September 2026

QR code not scanning? We measured blur, angle and size

One code decoded hundreds of times while we tilted, blurred and shrank it. Angle survived 60 degrees, but blur of four tenths of a module killed it.

16 September 2026

We damaged QR codes until they broke

Everyone repeats that QR codes survive 30% damage. We ran the test. Level H managed 19% in one place and failed on a single module in another. Location beats quantity.

11 September 2026

Are QR codes safe? How to spot a malicious one

How QR code scams actually work, the warning signs before you tap, and what businesses should do to stop their own printed codes being tampered with.

11 September 2026

How to add a QR code to your email signature

Step by step instructions for adding a QR code to your email signature in Gmail and Outlook, plus the right image size and the mistakes to avoid.

11 September 2026

QR codes for hotels: A practical guide

Which QR codes a hotel actually needs, where they belong in the guest journey, how to print them for rooms and lobbies, and the accessibility rules to respect.

10 September 2026

QR code size for print: The numbers that actually matter

How big should a QR code be? Scanning distance, minimum sizes, quiet zones and the print mistakes that stop codes working, with a practical size table.

What these guides cover

Generating a QR code takes about ten seconds. Getting one to work reliably in a real environment, a dim restaurant at 9pm, a printed card handled by a hundred people, a guest arriving with no data allowance, takes a handful of specifics that are rarely written down properly.

These guides cover that gap. Each one deals with a concrete situation rather than QR codes in general, and gives the numbers where numbers matter: minimum print sizes, the character counts where codes start failing, which test actually proves a WiFi code works, and where an ad or a code must not be placed.

Start here by situation