What happens when someone scans it
A plain text QR code stores your words inside the pattern itself. When someone scans it with the built-in camera app on a current iPhone or Android phone, the phone shows the text on screen; some camera apps also offer to copy it or search for it. No extra app is needed. Accented letters and emoji work too.
Nothing sits between the scan and your words. The text is inside the code, so the phone can show it without opening a website, and the code keeps working even if 77-3.com goes offline.
How to make a text QR code
- Choose the plain text code type.
- Enter your message. Keep it to a few sentences.
- Pick colors, a dot shape or a corner shape if you want a custom look.
- Check the result. Every design is test-scanned in the browser before download. If it will not scan, the page says so and suggests a fix, usually more contrast or a smaller logo.
- Download a PNG (512, 1024, 2048 or 4096 pixels) for screens, or an SVG (vector) for print.
Good uses for a text QR code
- Equipment labels and serial numbers. Scan the label to read the serial number without typing it.
- Asset tags. Put the asset number or owning department on a tag anyone can read with a phone.
- Short instructions. Add a few steps for resetting a device or using a shared printer.
- Scavenger hunts and games. Hide a clue in each code, and put the final message on the last one.
- A message in a gift. Print a code on a card or tag so the recipient can scan a note from you.
Tips for a clean, scannable code
Shorter text makes a smaller, easier-to-scan code. Longer text makes a denser code, which needs to be printed larger.
Higher error correction levels also make a code denser. Level L recovers about 7% of damaged data, M about 15%, Q about 25% and H about 30%. If you add a logo in the center, the error correction level is raised to H automatically, so keep the logo small.
Dark modules on a light background scan most reliably. Light-on-dark codes do not scan on some older scanner apps, so keep the contrast strong. For colors, gradients and dot shapes, see custom QR code options.
Text stays in your browser
The code is generated in your browser. The text you enter is never sent to or stored on our servers. We do not track scans, and a static code cannot be tracked by anyone.
Text or a website link?
A text code shows words. If you want people to open a page, such as a manual or a photo album, use a website link instead. 77-3.com cannot host files such as PDFs, so upload the file to a place you control, like your website or a cloud drive, and make a code for that link.
Printing and keeping it working
Print the code at least 2 cm (about 0.8 inch) wide. Scanning distance can be about 10 times the code's width. Leave a blank margin around the code: the standard calls for 4 modules, and many codes still scan with less, but do not go below 2.
A text code does not expire, but it cannot be edited after you print it. If the serial number or instructions change, make a new code and replace the printed one. Read do QR codes expire? for more on how long static codes last.
Always test-scan with a phone before you print a large run.