QR code PDF download at a fixed print size

How to make a printable QR code PDF

1. Paste the link into Website address. Use Test link to open it in a new tab if you are not sure it works.
2. Set Foreground colour and Background colour if you want colour, and Upload logo if you want a logo. Both carry into the PDF.
3. Wait for the badge Verified: scans as URL.
4. Click Download PDF, enter the physical width in mm or inches, add an optional caption such as the address in plain text, and save the file.

QR code PDF download details

The PDF is generated on your device with pdf-lib. Each dark module of the code is drawn as a filled rectangle at coordinates computed from the physical size you enter, so the file is pure vector: a 4 cm code and a 40 cm code contain the same geometry at different scales, and neither shows a soft edge at any zoom. The page holds one code, its quiet zone and the caption, ready to place or print as it is.

Size and caption

You give the width in millimetres or inches and the generator derives the module size from the code’s version. Nothing is interpolated, so what you see at 100 % in a PDF viewer is exactly what comes off the press. The optional caption sits beneath the code in a standard PDF font; the plain address, a call to action or a table number are the usual choices, and a printed address is a useful fallback if the code is ever damaged.

Colour, logo and styling in the PDF

Foreground and background colours carry across as fills, and a logo is embedded as a high-resolution PNG image in the centre. Because the PDF is drawn from the raw module grid rather than traced from the styled preview, its modules are square: rounded dot shapes and gradients belong to the PNG and SVG downloads. If the styled look matters in print, send the print shop the SVG and use the PDF for exact-size jobs.

Print shops and office printers

Print shops prefer PDF because the size is fixed and there is nothing to interpret. On an office printer, print at actual size, never fit to page, or the width you chose will change. The size guide gives the minimum width for each scanning distance, and the bulk generator builds A4 and Letter label sheets from a CSV.

This code never expires

The PDF stores the address as printed geometry, so the sheet works for as long as the page it points to is online, with no service in between. This is a static QR code: the data is written into the pattern, so scanning it needs no server, no account and no subscription. There is nothing to renew and no redirect that can be switched off, which is why a code made here keeps working for as long as the printed copy exists. The trade-off is honest: a static code cannot be edited after printing and does not count scans. If you need either, encode a link to a page you control. Read how static and dynamic codes differ, and if a code you already have has stopped working, see why QR codes expire.

Styling, formats and print size

Every code can be styled in the Style panel: six dot shapes, corner shapes, solid or gradient colours, a transparent background, a quiet zone of 0–8 modules, and your own logo up to 30 percent of the width. A contrast checker warns below 3:1 and blocks downloads below 1.5:1, and after each change the preview is decoded again so the badge tells you whether the styled code still scans.

Print size: as a rule of thumb the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide, with the quiet zone included.

Enter the physical width directly: 3 cm for a business card, 5 to 8 cm for a table card or leaflet, 20 cm or more for a poster read from two metres. Print at actual size, never fit to page.

The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.

Frequently asked questions