How do I export a print-ready PDF or a CMYK file?

Export a print-ready PDF

1. Open My QR Codes and click Download from the code's row menu, or open the code and click Download.
2. Click the PDF card ("Print-ready document.").
3. Pick a Page format: A4, A3, A2, A1 or A0.
4. Click Download.

The code is centred and sized to 60% of the page's shorter edge, so it grows with the page you pick:

What is on the PDF page

The PDF is a finished page, not a bare asset. It contains:

• Your QR Code Name as a heading above the code.
• The code itself, centred, with your colours, logo and frame.
• The destination printed under the code — but only for codes that encode something a person can read, such as a link, a phone number, an email address or an SMS. WiFi, contact-card and calendar codes hold machine-readable text, so no caption is printed.
• A small Generated by QRCodeStack line in the footer.

The code inside the PDF is placed as a high-resolution image rather than as vector shapes. That is fine at the page size you selected; if a printer wants to scale the artwork up further, send them the SVG instead — see downloading your QR code as SVG.

Exporting CMYK for a press

Presses print in cyan, magenta, yellow and black rather than in screen colours, and some print houses will reject RGB artwork. To send them CMYK:

1. Open Download and click the JPEG card.
2. Set File size — pick the largest size that suits the artwork.
3. Set Color mode to CMYK.
4. Click Download. The file is saved with a CMYK colour profile embedded, so the press interprets the colours the way you saw them.

Most QR artwork is a solid dark colour on white, which converts cleanly either way. The colour mode matters most when your code carries a brand colour that has to match the rest of the piece.

Common problems

There is no Color mode option

You have PNG, SVG or PDF selected. The Color mode dropdown only appears on the JPEG card.

The PDF has a lot of white space around the code

That is by design — the code is 60% of the short edge on a full page, so there is room for trimming and mounting. If you want the code tight to its edges, download a PNG or SVG and place it in your own layout.

I need a smaller page than A4

A4 is the smallest page format offered. For a business card, a sticker or a label, download a PNG or SVG and place it at the size you need — see which size and resolution to download.

My printer says the file is low resolution

Send the SVG. It has no resolution to be low, and it carries your frame and colours in the same file.

I can only download a PNG

You are on the free plan, which is limited to one low-quality PNG. Any paid plan and the free trial unlock JPEG, SVG, PDF, the larger sizes and CMYK.

Frequently asked questions