# QR Code Generator > A QR code generator encodes a URL or piece of text directly into a scannable square. Because the data is in the code itself rather than behind a redirect, the code never expires and depends on no third-party service staying online. Source: https://rankcert.com/tools/qr-code-generator Free, no signup. Updated: 2026-08-29 ## How to use it 1. Enter the URL or text to encode. 2. Pick an error correction level - M is right for almost everything. 3. Download the PNG at 512 pixels and scale it as you need. ## Questions ### Do these QR codes expire? No. The code encodes your URL directly, with no redirect service in the middle. It works forever and nobody can track or disable it - unlike most free generators. ### What error correction level should I use? M (15%) for screens and print. Use H (30%) only if you are placing a logo over the centre, since that damage has to be recoverable. ### How small can I print it? Roughly 2cm square for a short URL at typical scanning distance. Longer URLs need more modules and therefore more space - shorten the link first. ### Why is my QR code so dense? Every character adds modules. A 200-character URL produces a much denser grid than a 30-character one. Use a short URL and the lowest error correction that suits the surface. ### What is the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code? Static codes contain the destination itself and cannot be changed, but never expire. Dynamic codes contain a short redirect URL you can re-point later - convenient, but the code dies if the provider does or starts charging. ### Can I add a logo to the middle? Yes, up to roughly 20% of the area at error correction level H, which reserves enough redundancy to survive the obstruction. Test the result before printing. ### Why will my QR code not scan? Usually insufficient contrast, no quiet zone, or printing too small. Dark code on a light background, four modules of blank margin, and at least 2cm square fixes nearly all failures. ### Do QR codes work in print and on screen equally? Yes, but print needs more size margin. Screens are backlit and high contrast; a code on matte paper under poor lighting needs to be larger. ## Related tools - [UTM Builder](https://rankcert.com/tools/utm-builder): Build tagged campaign URLs with consistent utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign values so your launch traffic is actually attributable. - [Keyword Idea Generator](https://rankcert.com/tools/keyword-generator): Turn one seed keyword into the questions, comparisons and commercial queries people actually type, pulled live from Google autocomplete. - [Meta Tags Checker](https://rankcert.com/tools/meta-tags-checker): Check any page's title, meta description, canonical, robots and heading structure, and see the exact issues that hurt its rankings. - [Open Graph Preview](https://rankcert.com/tools/open-graph-preview): Preview how your page looks when shared on X, LinkedIn, Slack and Facebook, and find the Open Graph tags you are missing. - [WHOIS Lookup](https://rankcert.com/tools/whois-lookup): Look up any domain's registrar, registration date, expiry, status codes and nameservers using live RDAP registry data. - [Domain Age Checker](https://rankcert.com/tools/domain-age-checker): Find out exactly how old a domain is, when it was registered, when it was last changed and when it expires.