How do I turn a PDF into a QR code?

Host the PDF wherever you already keep files — your site, a drive with a public share, any CDN — and paste that link above. Make the code dynamic and the address you paste becomes something you can change later without touching the print run.

Can I replace the PDF later without making a new code?

Yes, with a dynamic code. Upload the new file or change the link and every scan afterwards gets the current version. A static code cannot do this - the link is inside the pattern.

Does the PDF open directly on a phone?

Yes. Phone browsers render PDFs natively. Keep the file small and prefer a portrait layout, because a landscape A4 spread is unreadable without pinching.

Wherever you put it — we hold the link, not the file. That is deliberate: a document you host is one you can revise, move or take down on your own schedule, and a dynamic code means doing any of those costs you nothing in reprinting.

What happens if I cancel?

The code keeps redirecting to the last document you saved. You cannot swap the file or read analytics until you reactivate, but nothing printed stops working.

QR code for a PDF

Paste the link to your document and download the code free. Make it dynamic and you can point the same printed code at a new version whenever the document changes.

Your code appears here as you type.

Design

Style

Colour#000000

Code

Background

Corner squares

Optional accent on the three finder patterns.

Shapesquare

Modules

Corner squares

Framelabel-below

Style

Label

Logonone

Image

PNG, JPEG or WebP. Kept under a third of the width so the symbol still decodes.

Print settingsECC M

Error correction

Quiet zone

Blank margin in modules. Four is the spec minimum.

PDFs

Why this one should be dynamic

A PDF is the most revised thing in most businesses. Price lists, manuals, spec sheets and catalogues all get a version two, and a static code printed on the box still points at version one. A dynamic code lets the document move underneath the same printed pattern.

Versions

Replace the file, keep the code

Upload the revision and every scan from that moment gets it. Nothing printed needs to change.

Hosting

No file server needed

A dynamic code holds our short link, not the document address, so you can move the file between a drive, a CDN or your own site without reprinting anything.

Reach

Know if anyone opened it

Scan counts answer the question a printed manual never could: did anybody actually read this.

Before it goes to print

The spec sheet for this job

A code that scans on a screen can still fail on paper. These are the numbers that decide it.

Print one at final size, on the final material, and scan it from where a real person will stand - across a table, at arm's length, from the pavement. Do that before the run, not after. It is the only test that matters, and it takes a minute.

Minimum size: 20 mm square on a document
On packaging: 25 mm, and keep 4 modules of clear margin
File size: Under 5 MB - it opens on mobile data
Naming: Keep the link stable; version the file, not the URL
Colour: Black on white prints and photocopies cleanest
Error correction: M for clean stock, H for boxes and labels

Our policy

Static codes never expire. Dynamic codes work while you have a plan.

A static QR code carries its destination inside the pattern itself. There is no redirect, no server, nothing anyone can switch off - so the ones you make here are yours forever, free, with no account and no expiry date. If what you need is a code that outlives us, make it static and print it.

A dynamic code is different: it points at a redirect we run on your behalf every time somebody scans it, which is what lets you change the destination after printing. That runs while you have a plan. Cancel and it keeps working for 30 more days, we email you before anything changes, and nothing is ever deleted - your codes, links and scan history all wait for you.

What lasts, and for how long

ForeverStatic codes, free, no account
On a planEditable destinations and scan analytics
30 daysDynamic codes keep working after you cancel
KeptCodes and history, so paying restores everything
StoppedCodes used for abuse

Abuse is the one thing we stop immediately and without a grace period - phishing, malware, fraud, impersonation and the rest of the acceptable use policy.

Static or dynamic

Which one belongs on this

Static stays free forever. Dynamic starts at $12 a month once you pass the free plan's 3 codes.

	Static	Dynamic
Price	Free forever	3 free, then a plan
Account needed	No	Yes, to save and edit it
Change what it says	Never. The content is inside the pattern	The destination, any time
What is inside the code	The content itself - a link, a network, a contact card	A short link we own, which is what you edit
Scan analytics	None	Scans, day, city, device
Expiry	Never	Never, including after you cancel
Best for	Wi-Fi, contact cards, anything that must work offline	Menus, packaging, signage, campaigns

See all plans

Paid plans from $12/mo. Unlimited scans. Cancel online in two clicks.

Questions

PDFs, answered

How do I turn a PDF into a QR code?: Host the PDF wherever you already keep files — your site, a drive with a public share, any CDN — and paste that link above. Make the code dynamic and the address you paste becomes something you can change later without touching the print run.
Can I replace the PDF later without making a new code?: Yes, with a dynamic code. Upload the new file or change the link and every scan afterwards gets the current version. A static code cannot do this - the link is inside the pattern.
Does the PDF open directly on a phone?: Yes. Phone browsers render PDFs natively. Keep the file small and prefer a portrait layout, because a landscape A4 spread is unreadable without pinching.
Do you host the PDF?: Wherever you put it — we hold the link, not the file. That is deliberate: a document you host is one you can revise, move or take down on your own schedule, and a dynamic code means doing any of those costs you nothing in reprinting.
What happens if I cancel?: The code keeps redirecting to the last document you saved. You cannot swap the file or read analytics until you reactivate, but nothing printed stops working.

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