QR Code: URL

Can I change the content loaded with my QR code later, shorten the URL in my barcode, or change the URL later with a redirection service?

Barcode Producer offers the option of encoding a URL in your QR Code. Once created and printed, a physical barcode cannot be changed. You can, of course, encode a URL with content under your control – so you can change the content whenever you like and the QR code will load the latest version of that page when the user scans it.

We strongly advise our users against using shortened or redirecting URLs in QR Codes, such as those provided by TinyURL and Bitly. Such action creates a so-called "indirect" QR Code, and we've been made aware of a company called NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. that claims patent ownership of this concept in various countries. So, we'd suggest that you don't make barcodes representing a redirecting URL – encode the full, direct target URL in your QR Code.

How do I add a logo to my QR Code?

Technically speaking, you shouldn't do this – but many people want to anyway and ask us about how to accomplish this.

You can modify a QR Code to insert a logo; that said, you’d need to make the image modifications outside of Barcode Producer with a third-party app (like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

QR Codes have a built-in error correction capability, which allows codes to remain scannable even after a portion of the code has been disfigured (or replaced with a logo). The intent is to help with physically damaged codes, but you can also "damage" the QR Code with a logo and it'll still work.

To do this, set the error correction level, which can be found in the QR Code advanced options window, to a high or very level, then add your logo and try it with a variety of QR Code readers to see if it still works.

(But, officially, as the maker of barcode generation software, we don't recommend doing this at all.)

Why don't my vCard QR Codes work on some phones?

Barcode Producer creates QR Codes by encoding content into a barcode -- this can be a URL, text, or a vCard. But while Barcode Producer creates valid barcodes for all different content types, not all mobile QR Code readers can read all kinds of content. Some apps are great and support many different formats -- others do not.

For example, QuickMark for iPhone handles all formats nicely; Scan, also for iPhone, has a cleaner interface, but can't handle vCards. Other readers for other platforms vary. A good rule of thumb is that everything can handle URLs and text, but you can't count on the implementations for other types of content, like vCards.

Because of this unreliability in QR Code reader implementations, we recommend using a URL or text instead of a vCard. You can send the user to a URL on the web with the contact information you would have otherwise put in the vCard, or provide a link to a vCard on the page (which then relies on the user's mobile operating system to decode it, rather than the QR Code). Alternatively, encode the contact information as text.