I usually use the free ones like QR Code Monkey and have had good luck with it. Does anyone here use the paid versions? What are the advantages?
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I usually use QR Code Monkey too, because it creates vector versions instead of only PNGs.
I see no particular advantages in paying money for the extra features they list unless a client has a need for those features. For example, I once had a client who wanted to measure its advertising click-throughs in various publications using the same ad in each. The only thing that differed was the QR code. The paid service gave them an easy way to track which QR codes were being scanned in each publication.
All the QR code companies talk about security and how you can edit dynamic QR codes even once it’s been printed. I guess I don’t really understand that. I don’t really see a big difference between them.
For the record, for just barebones QR codes, you can generate them directly in InDesign as well.
If you need analytics or to update where a QR code points to after the fact, then it makes sense to look for a paid option.
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Hmm, poking around online I see that Adobe has their own barebones standalone QR code generator.
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I generate all kinds of barcodes (including QR codes) in vector format using Terry Burton’s Online Barcode Generator.
It’s not flashy, but It’s very versatile, 100% reliable, and free to use; supported by donations (and it’s well worth making a donation).
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Ooooh! Now that will come in handy!
I’ll have to check that out more closely. Thanks!
That is crazy versatile. Nice link!
Pretty sure I posted about that before. I’ve used it for about 20 years.
I use the QR Code generator built in to InDesign. I see no advantage to vector versions, as by nature the code is a bit map.
InDesign codes are vector as far as I know.
Advantage would be scaling obviously.
As long as it scans
Recent a guy on the Adobe forums was giving out stink that the qr code scanned incorrectly and wouldn’t accept he made the error. Then wanted to know if the code could be changed after he had something like 250,000 flyers already printed.
He wasn’t happy to find out you can’t do that either.
Moral of the story, make sure info is correct and scans properly on multiple devices and os.
Vector versions scale with no blurring of the edges due to rounding errors and anti-aliasing. It’s not a huge issue (usually) but is enough for me to opt for vector. I’d rather have something that prints at the high resolution of the output device than at the resolution of the QR code bitmap.
I use an offline tool (iQR codes (Mac) by Marek Hrušovský) because I also use QR codes for clients business cards and using online tools for that would be much more complicated for me due to European law GDPR.
Not in my (old) version - maybe so in later versions.
Ah they’re high fidelity graphic objects that behave like vectors
“Dynamic” QR codes allow the URL to be changed later. Imagine you add a QR code to a printed poster, and the marketing department later say the UTM params needs to be changed… A dynamic QR code allows you to change it.
The way these work behind the scenes is the QR code you scan links to the service, which redirects to your web page. Editing it changes the redirect part, making it appear dynamic. You could achieve the same thing for free using an URL shortener that allows the URL to be edited.
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Yeah I use a paid subscription QR code generator that my company provides and I can share my experience 
So the best benefits are tracking options, the ability to create dynamic codes, and some advanced customization. Dynamic codes are great if you are planning on putting your QR codes to a bulk of printed materials, like product packaging, promotional materials like posters, flyers, etc and want to make sure you won’t have to reprint everything in case some info behind your code changes. Scans data tracking is also important for bigger projects where you want to analyze the performance of your campaigns. And customization in paid versions is usually more advanced. For example in the QR code generator we use https://viralqr.com/ we always customize codes according to the client’s branding, change colors, shapes, add logo etc. But I would say that the main benefit is still the ability to create dynamic QR codes. I think it is worth the paid subscription because it’s convenient and saves money you would spend on reprinting with static codes 
There’s no such thing as a dynamic QR code.
The code stays the same.
It only sets up a redirect which is not the same thing.
I was doing this 20 years ago to detect how many times a code was scanned.
Turns out it was only accessed 5 times, me and other staff.
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For sure the code stays the same but what do you mean there’s no such thing as dynamic QR code, it’s just a name for QR codes that give you an ability to change the information behind it, and yes ir does so with a redirect.