How to use it
- 1Choose what the code should contain: a link or text, a Wi-Fi network, an email, a phone number, an SMS or a contact card.
- 2Fill in the fields. The QR code updates as you type.
- 3Change the colours, the error correction level or the margin if you like.
- 4Download the code as PNG for documents and websites, or as SVG for print and design tools. Test it with your phone’s camera before you print it.
Static codes that keep working
A static QR code stores the content itself – the link, the Wi-Fi password, the contact details. Scanning it doesn’t pass through nestoo or any other service, so it keeps working for as long as the printed code exists, even if this website disappeared.
Some QR services create “dynamic” codes instead: the code holds a short link to the service’s own server, which then redirects to your content. That lets you change the destination and count scans, but every scan depends on that server. When the subscription ends or the service shuts down, printed codes stop working – and each scan can be tracked. With a static code, you simply print a new code when the content changes.
Everything on this page runs in your browser. What you type isn’t uploaded anywhere, there’s no account to create, no watermark and no limit on scans.
Error correction, contrast and size
Error correction adds redundant data so a code still scans when part of it is dirty, damaged or covered: level L restores about 7 % of the code, M 15 %, Q 25 % and H 30 %. Higher levels make the code denser, with more and smaller modules, so use L or M for screens and clean prints and Q or H for stickers, outdoor signs or a logo in the middle.
Phone cameras need contrast: dark modules on a light background. Pale colours and light-on-dark (inverted) codes fail on many phones. Keep the quiet zone – the empty margin around the code – at least 4 modules wide.
A printed code should be at least 2 × 2 cm, and roughly one tenth of the distance it’s scanned from: a poster read from 3 metres away needs a code about 30 cm wide.
Wi-Fi, contact, SMS and email codes
A Wi-Fi code uses the format WIFI:T:WPA;S:network;P:password;;, which the camera apps of iPhones and Android phones turn into a button to join the network. Choose WPA for WPA2 and WPA3 networks too.
A contact code holds a vCard, and scanning it offers to save the person to the phone’s contacts. An SMS code opens a text message with the number and message filled in; an email code opens a new email with the address, subject and message ready to send.
Questions and answers
Do these QR codes expire?
No. The content is stored in the code itself, not on a server, so the code works for as long as it can be scanned. Only the content can go out of date – for example, if the website it links to moves.
Can I change the link after printing the code?
Not with a static code, because the link is part of the pattern. If you expect the destination to change, point the code at an address you control, such as a page on your own website that you can redirect later.
Should I download PNG or SVG?
PNG works everywhere – websites, documents, presentations; choose 1024 px or more for print. SVG is a vector image that stays perfectly sharp at any size, which makes it the best choice for professional printing and design tools such as Figma, Illustrator or Inkscape.
Why won’t my QR code scan?
The usual causes are low contrast or inverted colours, a code printed too small, a missing margin around it, or so much content that the modules become tiny. Blurry or glossy prints make it worse. Shorten the content, use dark on light, keep a margin of 4 modules and test with a couple of different phones.
How do I share my Wi-Fi with a QR code?
Choose Wi-Fi, type the network name exactly as it appears (it’s case-sensitive), enter the password and pick the security type – usually WPA. Print the code and put it where guests can see it; they point their camera at it and join without typing the password.