How to Create a QR Code for WiFi, a Link, or a Business Card

A QR code is a compact way to encode text, such as a link, Wi-Fi credentials or a contact card, into a pattern a phone camera can read in a fraction of a second. Generating one takes seconds. The hard part is generating the right kind for the job and making sure it actually scans once it is printed on a menu, poster or business card. This guide covers the three QR codes people actually need, how to make each one, and the design rules that decide whether a code works.

The three QR codes people actually need

Link (URL) QR code

Points to a web page, such as a menu, portfolio, payment page, feedback form or app download. This is what most people mean by "a QR code". The phone shows the link and opens it with one tap.

Wi-Fi QR code

Encodes a network name, security type and password in a standard format phones understand natively. Scanning it offers to join the network, so nobody has to read out or mistype a 16-character password. It has become standard practice in cafés, offices, rental properties and for guest networks at home. Under the hood the code holds text like WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:your-password;;, and the camera app does the rest.

Contact (vCard) QR code

Encodes a contact card with name, phone number, email, company and website. Scanning it offers to save the contact directly, with no typing. It is common on business cards, event badges, conference slides and shop counters.

How to create a QR code

1. Open the QR Code Studio and choose what you are encoding: a link, Wi-Fi network or contact card.
2. Fill in the details. For Wi-Fi, enter the network name exactly as it appears (it is case-sensitive), choose the security type (WPA/WPA2 for almost every modern router) and the password.
3. Adjust the colours if you are matching a brand, keeping the code dark on a light background.
4. Download the high-resolution PNG and test it before you print anything.

The code is drawn on our server, so the text you encode, including a Wi-Fi password, is sent to it to produce the image. It is used to draw the code and not saved. The finished code contains everything itself, so it keeps working without our site.

Static vs dynamic QR codes

The codes generated here are static: the link or data is encoded directly in the pattern. They never expire and work as long as the destination exists.

Many paid services sell dynamic codes instead. The pattern holds a short link to their server, which redirects to your destination. The advantage is that you can change the destination later and get scan statistics. The catch is that the code depends on that company. When a subscription lapses, printed codes can stop working or start redirecting somewhere else. For most uses (a menu, a Wi-Fi card, a business card), a static code pointing at a page you control is simpler and more durable. If you might need to change the destination, point the code at a page on your own site and update that page instead.

Design rules that decide whether a code scans

• Contrast first. Scanners look for dark modules on a light background. Light grey on white, pastel brand colours or inverted light-on-dark codes defeat many phone cameras. Black or a dark brand colour on white is safest.
• Keep the quiet zone. The blank margin around the code is how the camera finds the pattern's edges. The standard calls for a margin four modules wide (a module is one small square). Don't crop it, and don't place the code against a busy photo.
• Size for the distance. A rough rule is that a code can be scanned from about ten times its width. A 2 cm code works at arm's length; a poster read from 3 metres needs a code around 30 cm wide.
• Keep the data short. The more characters you encode, the denser the pattern and the harder it is to scan when printed small. A short, clean URL produces a much more forgiving code than a long tracking link.
• Don't distort it. Stretching a code, or printing it on a curved surface such as a cup, can make it unreadable.

What should a printed QR code link to?

Someone scanning a code is, by definition, on a phone. Link to a page that works well on a phone: the mobile menu rather than a desktop PDF, the sign-up form rather than the home page, and exactly the thing promised next to the code. Say what the scan does, for example "Scan for the menu" or "Scan to join Wi-Fi", because people hesitate to scan mystery codes.

Test before you print 500 of them

1. Scan the downloaded file on screen with at least two phones, ideally one iPhone and one Android.
2. Print a single test copy at the real size and on the real material, then scan it from the distance people will actually stand.
3. Check the destination loads quickly on mobile data, not only on office Wi-Fi.
4. For Wi-Fi codes, confirm the phone actually connects. A typo in the password still produces a perfectly scannable code that fails to connect.

Security tips

• When you change your Wi-Fi password, reprint the Wi-Fi code. The old code will still scan but will no longer connect.
• For a public Wi-Fi code, use a separate guest network rather than your main one.
• On anything public, such as parking meters and posters, check that nobody has stuck a different code over yours. Fake QR stickers pointing to phishing pages are a known scam.

Frequently asked questions

Do these QR codes expire?

No. The data is in the pattern itself, so the code works for as long as the link or details inside it remain valid.

Can I add a logo to the middle?

QR codes include error correction that lets them survive some damage, which is why small logos can work. It always reduces scanning reliability, though, so if you add one afterwards in a design tool, keep it small and test heavily.

What file format should I use for printing?

Use the high-resolution PNG. Place it at the final size rather than enlarging a small image, which makes the edges blurry.

Why won't my customised code scan?

Almost always it is low contrast, a missing quiet zone or too small a print size. Go back to dark-on-light, restore the margin, and print it larger.