QR Codes?

We’re in the 21^st century, and technology rules everywhere: phone apps, voice-activated personal assistants, spellcheckers, artificial intelligence (don’t get me started on an anti-AI rant), and …

Let’s begin with the Oxford Languages definition of QR code:

Forget black and white. Nowadays you have options for colors. And the squares within can be hearts, stars, circles, or various other shapes.

A QR code provides a shortcut to a webpage. And because it’s graphical, it doesn’t take up some of the valuable text space allotted by sites such as Bluesky (300 characters) and X-Twitter (280 characters).

Some writers include these graphics on their book covers, or within their books, to direct readers to their website, social media accounts, book pages, etc. QR codes for books must be larger than those for social media promos, because graphics in books should be 300 pixels per inch or greater. Web graphics only need to be 72 ppi.

All of the codes in this post are 100×100 pixels. You might want to scan them with your device to see the differences in functionality. I configured the html so that each image has a border. This allows you to see the amount of extra space created around each QR code by the various providers.

Your Browser Might Be Able to Create a Code

Here are two examples.

Microsoft Edge:

Quick and easy QR code creation:

1. Navigate to the page for which you want to create a code.
2. Right click on the page.
3. Select Create a QR Code for this page.
4. A code will pop up on your screen.
5. Select Copy or Download.

Generated codes will be 450×450 pixels.

Google Chrome:

According to the Google Chrome help page:

1. Go to the page you want to share.
2. Select More and then Cast, save, and share, and then Create QR code.
3. Select Copy or Download

I didn’t try this one, because I don’t have Chrome, so I don’t know the size it produces.

Other Browsers and Devices

Mozilla Firefox doesn’t have a built-in generator, but you can install an extension that will do the job for you.

Other Browsers: See the previous comment.

Apple devices provide apps that can create codes.

Dedicated Online Resources

Online providers offer extras you won’t find with a simple right click in a browser.

QRCodeMonkey

QRCodeMonkey allows you to change colors by choosing SET COLORS, clicking in the Foreground Color or Background Color field, and experimenting with the color slider until you find what you want. You can even choose a color gradient.

I selected #051CCC as the foreground color, and left the background color as white (#ffffff). Note: Upper or lowercase letters don’t affect hex color codes.

If you upload a logo, be careful with the Remove Background Behind Logo option. This won’t work well with some color schemes. I recommend that you leave the option unchecked.

Select CUSTOMIZE DESIGN if you’d like to experiment with shapes.

When you’re ready, click Create QR Code to view your design. If you’re happy with it click the Download button.

A slider, which starts at 1000×1000 pixels, can be moved to higher or lower quality. Color gradients aren’t supported for PDF or EPS files.

Adobe Express

Another quick option with a few frills is offered by Adobe:

1. Enter your URL.
2. Select one of the five offered colors.
3. Choose a file format.

You must provide your email address and sign up for the service. Not my favorite choice, but in the spirit of providing information, I did it.

The code provided is 500×500 pixels. Note: If you don’t want to download the image, you can copy and paste it into your graphics program.

Canva

The Canva graphics program offers another free QR code generator.

You know by now how much I hate having to register for an account. But I did, and then performed the following steps:

1. Custom size
2. 500×500 px
3. Create new design.
4. Enter URL.
5. Generate code (using the suggested options).
6. Click on the code.
7. Click on the three dots at the upper right of the code.
8. Download selection.

At this point, the QR shows as a 200×200 file, which is suitable for social media promotions. If I wanted to increase the measurements, Canva insisted I sign up for a free 30-day Pro account. Uh … no. Someday, maybe, but I already use CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

Flowcode

Flowcode provides free and premium accounts.

Their QR codes can be created with various choices, including:

• a selection of colors
• the ability to upload a logo
• the option of adding a frame with top and bottom text
• round or square shape

You have to sign up or login with your Google account. Done — but with a huge frown. Free and paid accounts are available. Make your selection(s) and download.

I didn’t like the first version. Red is a tricky color to work with, often not reproducing well with the reduction in quality that occurs with many social media sites. And the round shape wastes a lot of space that could be better-used in a promotion graphic. Additionally, the text I added doesn’t show up in the 100×100 version.

So, I switched to a square shape and the color blue.

You can see the result to your right.

• Both graphics were 1667×1667 pixels initially, and the blue QR code scanned better than the red.
• The free account option automatically adds Flowcode branding to its codes.

My Favorites?

For ease of use and versatility: QRCodeMonkey.

For speed: Microsoft Edge.

You can locate more resources by searching for free online qr code generator.

See Also:

Thirteen Problems with Book Promos on Social Media: No-No #10: QR Codes That Don’t Work.