Download your QR code as PNG, SVG, PDF or vector
Raster for screens, vector for print. Transparent backgrounds, resolutions to 4096px and CMYK colour when the job goes to a commercial printer.
PNG free. SVG, PDF, CMYK and high resolution on paid plans.
Which format for which job
| Format | Type | Best for | Avoid for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | Raster | Web, email, slides, social, short-run digital print | Large-format print, any scaling up |
| SVG | Vector | Print artwork, signage, packaging, anything resized | Email clients and older CMS uploads |
| Vector | Sending to a commercial printer, embedding in InDesign | Web use | |
| EPS | Vector | Legacy print workflows that require it | Modern digital work |
| JPEG | Raster | Rarely the right answer for a QR code | Anything — compression artefacts blur module edges |
The short version: if it is going on paper, use SVG or PDF. If it is going on a screen, use PNG. Avoid JPEG for QR codes entirely — lossy compression softens the sharp edges the scanner depends on.
Vector QR codes: a file that scales to any size
A vector QR code holds its edges whether it ends up on a business card or the side of a building. Download it as SVG or PDF and hand the same file to every printer you work with.
Why raster files fail at print size
A PNG is a fixed grid of pixels. Export at 512px, scale it to a poster, and the edges of every module turn soft. Scanners are surprisingly tolerant of this, but printers and brand teams are not, and beyond a certain enlargement it does start costing you scans.
A vector file stores the code as shapes rather than pixels. There is no resolution to run out of, so the same file works for a 15mm label and a two-metre banner. This is also why printers ask for vector: it is the only way they can place your code at whatever size the layout ends up needing without coming back to you for a new export.
SVG or PDF?
Both are vector. The difference is what happens next. SVG is the smaller file and opens in design tools and browsers, so it is the one to use when the code goes into your own artwork or onto a web page. PDF is the format most print shops expect to receive, so it is the one to send when the job leaves your hands. If you are unsure, send the PDF and keep the SVG for your own files.
Editing a vector code safely
Because SVG opens in a design tool, it is tempting to adjust the code itself. Recolouring the modules and the background is safe as long as contrast holds. Moving, deleting or reshaping individual modules is not — the error correction has a budget and you will spend it without knowing.
Two things break codes more often than anything else: scaling the modules without scaling the quiet zone, and placing type or graphics inside that margin. If you need a caption near the code, use a frame rather than positioning text by hand.
Transparent backgrounds
PNG and SVG both carry an alpha channel, so you can place a code over a coloured panel, a photograph or a textured background without a white box around it.
Two cautions. First, whatever sits behind the code still needs to give at least 4:1 contrast against the code itself — a transparent code over a busy photograph usually will not scan. Second, the quiet zone still applies even when it is invisible; leave four modules of clear space around the code regardless of whether that space is white or transparent.
Why the white square is a problem
Most generators hand you a QR code sitting inside a solid white square. On a white page nobody notices. On a coloured background, a photograph or a piece of packaging artwork, that square announces itself as something pasted on afterwards.
Designers usually deal with it by masking the white out by hand, which is fine once and tedious across a range of SKUs. Exporting with a transparent background instead means the code arrives ready to place. The one thing transparency does not change is the contrast requirement: a scanner still needs a clear difference between the dark modules and whatever sits behind them.
What to place it on — and what to avoid
Transparency moves the responsibility for contrast from the file to your background. That is worth thinking about before the print run rather than after.
| Background | Works? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat light colour | Yes | Plenty of contrast against dark modules |
| Flat dark colour | Invert the code | Dark on dark will not scan; use light modules instead |
| Busy photograph | Risky | Contrast changes across the code; scanners lose the pattern |
| Gradient | Test it | Fine at the light end, marginal at the dark end |
JPEG has no alpha channel, so exporting to JPEG fills the background with white whatever you set. Use PNG for a transparent raster file and SVG or PDF for a transparent file that also scales.
Resolution and size
For raster downloads, choose the pixel dimensions to match the final printed size at 300 DPI rather than downloading once and resizing later.
| Final printed size | Pixels needed at 300 DPI | Recommended download |
|---|---|---|
| 2 cm (business card) | ~240 px | 512 px |
| 3 cm (menu, packaging) | ~350 px | 512 px |
| 10 cm (window sticker) | ~1,180 px | 1024–2048 px |
| 30 cm (poster) | ~3,540 px | 4096 px |
| 1 m+ (banner, billboard) | ~11,800 px | Use SVG or PDF instead |
Past roughly 30cm there is no sensible raster answer — switch to vector. See the print guide for sizing by scan distance.
Colour mode: RGB or CMYK
RGB is correct for anything viewed on a screen and is what you get by default.
CMYK matters when the job goes to offset or litho printing. A pure black in RGB converts to a four-colour build in CMYK, and if the press registration is even slightly off, the module edges blur and scan reliability drops. Supplying CMYK artwork with a single-channel black avoids the problem entirely. CMYK downloads are available on paid plans.
What each plan can download
| Free | Paid plans | |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Yes, 512px | Yes, up to 4096px |
| JPEG | No | Yes |
| SVG (vector) | No | Yes |
| No | Yes, A4 to A0 | |
| Colour modes | RGB | RGB and CMYK |
| Transparent background | Yes | Yes |
Paid plans start at $9/month, and every plan begins with a 7-day trial that does not ask for a card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I download my QR code as PNG or SVG?
Use SVG for anything going to print, because it is vector and stays sharp at any size. Use PNG for websites, email, slides and social media, where a raster image is simpler to place and file size matters.
Can I get a QR code with a transparent background?
Yes. PNG and SVG both support transparency, which is what you want when placing a code over a coloured panel or a photograph. Keep enough contrast behind it — a transparent code over a busy image usually fails to scan.
What is the largest size I can download?
Up to 4096 x 4096 pixels on paid plans, which covers everything up to large-format print. On the free tier downloads are PNG at 512px, which is fine for screens and small print but not for posters.
Do I need CMYK or RGB?
RGB for anything shown on a screen. CMYK for commercial offset or litho printing, so the black in your code prints as a single true black rather than a registration-sensitive four-colour build. CMYK downloads are available on paid plans.
Can I edit an SVG QR code in Illustrator?
Yes. The SVG is a normal vector file — you can recolour it, place it inside artwork and scale it freely. Avoid editing individual modules in the pattern itself, and never alter the three corner finder patterns.
Does the file format affect whether the code scans?
Indirectly. The format does not change the data, but a low-resolution raster file scaled up for print loses edge definition and starts failing to scan. That is the main reason to use vector for print.
Do I need vector for a business card?
It is worth using even at small sizes. The code is only a few centimetres, but a vector file guarantees the module edges stay crisp at whatever DPI the card is printed at.
Does a transparent background affect scanning?
Not by itself. What affects scanning is the contrast between the code and whatever ends up behind it. On a light, flat background a transparent code scans exactly like one on white. On a dark or busy background you need to invert the code or add a plain plate behind it.
Which formats keep the transparency?
PNG and SVG. JPEG has no alpha channel at all, so exporting to JPEG will fill the background with white regardless of your setting.
Download in the format your job needs
One code, every format. Vector for the printer, PNG for the deck, transparent for the overlay.
PNG free. SVG, PDF, CMYK and high resolution on paid plans.