What a QR code stores
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode: a grid of black and white squares that encodes data a camera can read. The data can be almost anything short — most commonly a website link, but also plain text, a WiFi login, a phone number, an email, an SMS, or a contact card.
The type of data determines what happens when someone scans it. A URL code opens a browser; a WiFi code offers to join a network; a contact card offers to save a new contact. QRix has a dedicated generator for each of these types, so the code is formatted correctly for the action you want.
More data means a denser grid with more squares, called modules. A short link produces a clean, sparse pattern that scans easily; a long link or a large block of text produces a dense pattern that needs more size and print quality to stay readable.
Static versus dynamic codes
A static QR code contains the destination directly. If it encodes https://example.com, that address is baked into the pattern. It works forever, offline, with no dependency on any service — but you cannot change where it points after it is printed.
A dynamic QR code instead encodes a short redirect link that forwards to your real destination. Because the pattern only holds the redirect, you can change the final destination later, and you can measure how many times it was scanned. The trade-off is that it depends on the redirect service staying online.
Choose static when the destination is permanent and you want zero dependencies — a WiFi password, a phone number, a link you will never change. Choose dynamic when you expect the destination to change or you need scan analytics, such as a campaign or a printed poster you want to repurpose.
Error correction
QR codes have a built-in ability to be read even when partially damaged, dirty, or covered — this is error correction. The standard defines four levels: L recovers about 7 percent of the code, M about 15 percent, Q about 25 percent, and H about 30 percent.
Higher error correction adds redundancy, which makes the grid denser for the same data. The main practical reason to raise the level is to place a logo in the center: the code can lose the covered area and still scan, as long as the logo stays within the recoverable percentage.
For most uses, M is a sound default that balances density and resilience. Use H when you are adding a logo or printing in a harsh environment where the code may get scuffed. Use L only when you need the sparsest possible pattern and the code will live somewhere clean and protected.
PNG versus SVG
QRix exports QR codes as PNG and SVG, and the difference matters. A PNG is a raster image — a fixed grid of pixels. It is universally supported and ideal when you know the final size, such as a web graphic or a social post. Enlarge it too far, though, and the edges soften.
An SVG is a vector image — the code is described as shapes, so it stays perfectly crisp at any size. This is the format to use for print, large-format signage, or anything a designer will scale, because it never blurs and typically has a smaller file size for a simple pattern.
As a rule, hand an SVG to a print shop or a design tool, and use a PNG when you need a ready-to-drop image at a known resolution. Both encode the identical QR data, so they scan the same; the choice is purely about how the image will be sized and reproduced.
Sizing for print
A QR code needs a quiet zone — an empty margin around the pattern, ideally about four modules wide — so the scanner can find its edges. Never crop tight to the squares or place busy artwork right up against them.
Physical size should follow scan distance. A common guideline is a roughly ten-to-one ratio: for every ten units of distance a scanner will be from the code, the code should be about one unit wide. A poster read from ten feet away wants a code around a foot across; a business card read at a few inches can use a code under an inch.
Keep strong contrast — dark pattern on a light background is the safe choice, and inverting it can break some scanners. For print, export vector SVG or a high-resolution PNG, verify the code with a real phone before mass production, and avoid stretching it out of its square proportions.