Every QR code generator offers a download menu with three or four formats. Pick the wrong one and a code that scanned perfectly on screen comes back from the printer soft-edged and unreliable.
Vector or bitmap
A bitmap (PNG, JPEG) is a grid of pixels. It has one size; enlarge it and each pixel becomes a blurry square. A vector (SVG, PDF, EPS) is a description of shapes. It has no size until it is drawn, and it is sharp at any size. QR codes are made of squares, which is exactly what vectors describe best.
| Feature | SVG | EPS | PNG | JPEG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp at any size | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Print shop ready | Usually | ✓ | ✓ | At 300 DPI | ✕ |
| Web and apps | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | Avoid |
| Email and chat | Patchy | As attachment | ✕ | ✓ | Avoid |
| Recolour after export | ✓ | In a vector editor | In a vector editor | ✕ | ✕ |
| Transparent background | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| File size for a code | 2 to 10 KB | 5 to 30 KB | 10 to 50 KB | 5 to 200 KB | 20 to 300 KB |
SVG
The best general-purpose format. Small, sharp, editable, and every browser and design tool opens it. A well-made QR SVG is a single path for the modules and a rectangle for the background, so a designer can recolour it in one click. Many generators export one rectangle per module instead, which works but is bulky and can show hairline seams when scaled. The SVG optimiser shows the difference.
Do this
One path, one background rectangle, viewBox set to the module grid.
Not this
Six hundred tiny rectangles with pixel coordinates and a hairline gap between them at 37% zoom.
What print shops expect. A PDF holds the code as vector along with bleed, crop marks and colour profile. For a code that will be part of a larger printed piece, PDF is the safe hand-off.
Try it in QR Studio
QR Studio Pro exports a print-ready PDF with bleed and crop marks, and an SVG with your dot and eye styles as clean paths.
EPS
The older cousin of PDF, still requested by some print workflows and sign makers. Same advice: vector, CMYK. If you have PDF you rarely need EPS.
PNG
Right for screens, email and anywhere vectors are not supported. For print, export at 300 pixels per inch of the final size: a 5 cm code is about 2 inches, so at least 600 px, comfortably 1200 px. Keep the background opaque white unless you are certain what it will sit on.
Do this
A 1200 px PNG for a 5 cm code on a leaflet.
Not this
A 200 px PNG copied from a web page, stretched to 8 cm on a poster.
JPEG
No. JPEG compression blurs sharp edges, which is exactly what a QR code is made of. It also cannot do transparency. If a tool only offers JPEG, use a different tool.
CMYK and RGB
Screens use RGB; presses use CMYK. A pure black code in RGB (0,0,0) usually converts to a rich black or a slightly grey black in CMYK, both of which scan fine. Coloured modules can shift on conversion, so check the contrast of the CMYK version, not the screen version.
Checklist
- Vector for print, PNG for screens, never JPEG
- PNG at 300 DPI of the final printed size
- SVG is single-path if a designer will edit it
- Background opaque unless the placement is known and light
- Colours checked after CMYK conversion
- Final artwork run through the scannability tester
Try it yourself
Generate a single-path SVG and see how much smaller it is than the one-rectangle-per-module version most tools produce.