QR Code & Barcode Generator

The content you enter is stored in the code itself, so the code works without LeedyBox, has no expiry date, and scans are not counted or tracked. For the same reason it cannot be edited once printed: to change the link or text, make a new code. Services that offer editable ("dynamic") codes put their own short link in the code and redirect it, which works only as long as that service keeps the link active.

The content is stored as UTF-8 bytes, which current scanner apps generally read correctly. A QR code holds at most 2,953 bytes at error correction level L, 2,331 at M, 1,663 at Q and 1,273 at H. Unaccented Latin letters, digits and common symbols take 1 byte each, accented Latin letters and Cyrillic 2, and Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai characters usually 3, so how many characters fit depends on the language. If the content is too long, a message shows its size and the maximum for the chosen level. Long content also makes a denser code that is harder to scan, so a short link is usually better than a long text.

SVG is a vector file that stays sharp at any size, which suits print work and design programs. PNG is a fixed-size image for web pages, documents and apps that do not accept SVG. To keep the modules sharp, each module in the PNG is a whole number of pixels, so the size is rounded down to a multiple of the code's width in modules, quiet zone included; the line under the preview shows the actual size. For example, a version 2 code is 25 modules wide, 33 with a quiet zone of 4, so 512 px becomes 495 px (15 px per module).

It uses the widely supported WIFI: format with the security type, network name, password and, if "Hidden network" is ticked, a hidden-network flag, for example WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe;P:secret123;; The option "WPA / WPA2 / WPA3" is written as T:WPA. A backslash is added before \ ; , : and " in the name or password so they are read correctly. The password is stored as plain text, so anyone who can see the code can read it; for visitors, consider a separate guest network.

Email becomes a mailto: link with the subject and message, phone a tel: link, and SMS the SMSTO:number:message format; spaces in phone numbers are removed. A contact becomes a vCard 3.0 with the name, organisation, mobile number, email and website. Scanning usually opens the email app, dialler, messages or contacts with these details filled in, and the person still has to send, call or save. Support for these formats varies between scanner apps, so test with the phones your audience uses.

These formats end with a check digit calculated from the other digits, with weights 3 and 1 alternating from the right, so a scanner can detect most misread or mistyped numbers. Enter 12, 7, 11 or 13 digits (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, ITF-14) and the check digit is added; enter 13, 8, 12 or 14 digits and the last one is checked. Spaces and hyphens are ignored. The tool only draws the number you enter: numbers used on retail products must be assigned through GS1.

Downloads stay available, but each warning points to a setting that makes scanning less reliable: a quiet zone narrower than 4 modules for QR codes, a barcode margin narrower than 10 bar widths, a contrast ratio below 4:1 between the two colours, or a light code on a dark background, which not every scanner reads. If you keep such a setting for design reasons, test the printed code with several phones and scanners first.