Shorter data, simpler code
Every extra character adds modules to the grid and makes each one smaller at the same printed size. A short, clean URL scans far more easily than one dragging thirty characters of tracking parameters behind it.
A scannable square turns a printed page into a doorway, and this QR code generator builds one at print resolution for your mailing list, your next book, a bonus chapter or a review link. Choose your own colours and error correction, then download it ready to place in your layout.
Choose a content type, enter your link and the code redraws as you type.
Print at 0.8 inches square as an absolute minimum, and closer to a full inch on a book cover where a reader may be scanning at arm's length in poor shop lighting. Keep a clear margin of at least four modules on every side, and never let cover artwork run underneath the code.
Use the highest error-correction level your design allows. Print picks up scuffs, ink spread and folds that a screen never does, and H-level correction lets a scanner recover from roughly a third of the code being damaged or obscured.
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that stores a short string of data, usually a web address, in a grid of black and white squares. The three large squares in the corners are finder patterns that let a scanner locate and orient the code from any angle, which is why a phone can read one held sideways or from across a table.
For a self-published author the value is the bridge it builds between the printed page and everything you have online. A code in the back matter can lead to a reader magnet and a mailing list signup. One on a bookmark or a conference flyer can lead to your series page. One inside a non-fiction book can lead to worksheets, templates or a resource library that would be unusable printed on paper.
What separates a QR code that works from one that quietly fails is print quality. Codes are built with error correction, meaning a proportion of the pattern can be damaged and the code still decodes, and choosing a higher level buys you real tolerance for ink spread, scuffing and the curve of a paperback page. Generate at high resolution, print at a sensible size, leave a clear margin, and test the printed proof rather than the screen.
Every extra character adds modules to the grid and makes each one smaller at the same printed size. A short, clean URL scans far more easily than one dragging thirty characters of tracking parameters behind it.
Encode a redirect on your own domain rather than a raw destination. If the target ever changes you simply update the redirect, and every book already in print keeps working instead of leading readers to a dead page.
Dark code on a light background, with a wide gap between the two. Inverted codes, low-contrast pairings and codes laid over photographs are the most common reasons a printed code refuses to scan.
A bare code on a page gets ignored. A single line of text beside it, whether that is free bonus chapter, join the mailing list or leave a review, is the difference between a code that gets scanned and one that does not.
It has to sit in the right place, at a size that still scans, inside a cover file built to print specification. That part we handle for you.
How much damage each level tolerates, and how large to print the result.
| Level | Recovery capacity | Best for | Minimum printed size |
|---|---|---|---|
| L (Low) | About 7% | Screens and digital files only, where nothing can degrade | 1.0 inch square |
| M (Medium) | About 15% | Clean interior pages and flyers that are handled carefully | 0.9 inch square |
| Q (Quartile) | About 25% | Covers, bookmarks and anything handled repeatedly | 0.85 inch square |
| H (High) | About 30% | Book covers, laminated stock, or a code with a small logo overlaid | 0.8 inch square |
| Quiet zone | Any level | At least four modules of clear background on every side | Add roughly 8% of the code width |
| Export resolution | Any level | 300 DPI or higher at the final placed size | 600 px for a 2 inch placement |
| Scanning distance | Any level | Printed width of about one tenth the scanning distance | 2 inch code for a 20 inch reach |
About 0.8 inches square is the practical floor, and a full inch is safer. Below that the individual modules become fine enough that ink spread on uncoated stock starts merging them, and a reader holding the book at arm's length in shop lighting will struggle to get a read.
For anything printed, choose Q or H. Higher correction means more of the pattern can be damaged, dirty or obscured and the code will still decode. The trade-off is a denser grid for the same data, so if your content is long you may need to print slightly larger or shorten the URL.
Yes, if you use level H and keep the logo small, no more than about a fifth of the code's width, centred, and never covering a corner finder pattern. Always test the printed result, because the tolerance you are spending is the same tolerance meant to absorb print damage.
The code itself never expires, because it is only an encoded string. What expires is whatever it points to. That is exactly why you should encode a redirect on your own domain rather than a raw destination link, so you can repoint it later without reprinting the book.
Yes, within reason. Keep the dark modules genuinely dark and the light modules genuinely light, because a strong contrast ratio matters far more than the specific hues. Avoid inverting light on dark, avoid pastel pairings, and never place the code over a photograph or a gradient.
Aim for at least 300 DPI at the size the code will actually be printed. A code placed at two inches wants a 600 pixel export as a minimum, and there is no penalty for going larger, so generate at 1200 and scale down in your layout rather than the reverse.
The back matter is the highest-converting position, right after the final page and paired with a clear offer. Covers work well for series links and review requests. Interior pages suit non-fiction resources. Avoid placing one near the spine of a paperback, where the curve of the page distorts the grid.
Print a proof at final size on the same kind of paper and scan it with two or three different phones, including at least one older device. Test in ordinary indoor light rather than under a desk lamp. A code that reads on a printed proof will read in a reader's hands.
Send us your artwork and we will assemble a print-ready cover with the correct trim, bleed and spine, your barcode and QR code sized and positioned to scan, and files that clear preflight the first time.
See Book Cover Formatting