Tips for printing QR Codes

People ask us every day about printing for QR Codes and what size is advisable. We are going to explain it in very simple terms because mistakes are made sometimes and we hopefully this articles will help you overcome this.

To print a QR code you must have the QR code in the correct format. Usually for print Vector images are used as they can be scaled to any size. Use a generator that provides images in vector format; Azonmobile's can produce PDF, SVG and EPS vector formats.

In case you would like to use our more advanced customization features like foreground image or different styles the output will be a Raster. Raster QR codes also can be printed but they have to be the right size. Here is how to find out the minimum size the QR code has to be. Lets assume that you will print at 300dpi (dots per inch) quality and the size of the QR code when printed needs to be 1.5 inch in size:

1.5 x 300 = 450 pixels

In case you prefer the metric system and you need a QR code to be for example 4 cm (1cm is 0.394 inches):

4 x 0.394 x 300 dpi = 473pixels

If the print quality is 600dpi then you will need 900px for 1.5 inch code and so on...

Having the necesary size in pixels of the QR code you can play with the “block size” option of the generator to obtain the optimal result – an image that is large enough. Dont forget that the error correction also impacts the size of the QR code by affecting its complexity thus its size in pixels – the higher the error correction – the bigger the code gets.

In case the QR code has to be printed in very large size (for example on billboard) you should go for a Vector format. Still if you want to use the extra visual options provided by our generator for the raster images you can still use raster format but you will have to generate a huge image using much higher values for block size. For the Advanced and Enterprise packages we do allow for block size upto 150pixels.

Important tips

->> The QR Code should not be smaller than 0.75 inch when printed as they may become unreadable on certain phones.

->> Customized QR Codes usually should not be smaller than 1 inch when printed. Go for a bit larger code in case you have your logo embedded so it is visible.

->> Complex QR Codes that contain a lot of data and have high error correction level may be hard or even impossible to read on some devices. Consider this when you are creating a vCard QR Code for your business card - do not fill too much data.

->> Be aware that the colors that will go out from the printer may be a lot different from what you see on the screen - this may consern the overall visual effect of a Customized QR Code or impact the readability of a colorful code.

->> Before you make the bulk print order to your printhouse do few samples and ensure that the QR Code is readable on the type of material/paper you print on. Test with as many phones as you can and preferably not all top-of-the line models. Only when satisfied with the result proceed with the printing. Always do samples and check the readability on paper specially for customized QR codes.

Article Source: http://www.compensationsecrets.co.uk/