Adding a QR code

A QR code turns a printed label or flyer into a link to your website, menu or promo. In Popcorn Editor you add one in a couple of clicks, point it at your URL, and recolor it to fit the design — all while it stays razor-sharp for print.

A QR code here is real vector art#

When you add a QR code, it's generated as a crisp vector object — not a pasted image. That means it stays perfectly sharp at any size, scales without blur, and exports cleanly to a print-ready PDF or SVG. You never have to worry about a pixelated code confusing a scanner.

Insert a QR code#

There are two ways to drop one onto your Canvas:

• Click the QR/barcode button in the top toolbar (hover it and you'll see the tooltip Add barcode).
• Or use the menu: Object → Add QR code.

A ready-to-scan sample QR code appears centered on the active Canvas, already configured so it scans out of the box. From there you tune it in the Properties panel.

Note: the toolbar button inserts a 1D barcode by default. To get a QR code specifically, use Object → Add QR code, or drop any code and switch its Type to QR Code (below).

Set the value#

Select the code, then open the Properties panel on the right. Type your URL or text into the Value box — the hint reads "Any text or URL".

Press Enter or click away to apply. The code re-encodes once when you commit, not on every keystroke, so you can type freely. If the value can't be encoded, a red error message appears under the field — fix it and commit again.

Choose the code type#

The Type dropdown is set to QR Code. That's the right choice for almost every marketing use: URLs, contact details, Wi-Fi credentials, plain text.

The dropdown also offers Data Matrix — the other 2D symbology (hint "Any text"). Reach for Data Matrix when you need a very small mark, such as a tiny part label or a component tag, where a QR code would be too large. For everything else, stick with QR Code.

Error correction#

QR codes carry redundant data so they still read even when part of the code is dirty, scuffed or covered. The Error corr. dropdown (shown for QR codes only) sets how much:

The default is M. Higher levels add redundancy so a code survives ink spread, a fold or a small logo dropped in the middle — but they also make the code denser (more, smaller cells). For anything printed on a physical product, Q or H is a safe bet; for screens and large clean prints, M is plenty.

Size the code: Module and Quiet#

Two number fields control the code's built-in geometry:

• Module is the module (cell) size in pixels — the width of the narrowest cell edge. Larger modules mean chunkier cells that are easier for a scanner to lock onto.
• Quiet is the quiet zone: the clear margin around the code, measured in modules. The default is 4, the QR spec minimum.

The quiet zone is baked into the object's bounds, so it travels with the code — leave Quiet at 4 or higher and never crop into that margin, or scanners may fail to find the code. To make the whole thing bigger, just scale the object on the Canvas; the proportions and quiet zone stay intact.

Recolor it#

The Color field sets the foreground (the dark modules); the background stays transparent, so whatever is behind the code shows through. Keep strong contrast — dark modules on a light backdrop. If the code sits on a dark or busy area, place a solid light rectangle behind it.

The Color field is spot-linkable, so on a job printed with a named ink you can link the code to a spot color and have it export on its own separation. See Spot colors & print separations for how that works.

Test before you print#

Before you export, scan the on-screen code with your phone to confirm it resolves to the right link. A code that looks fine can still miss on the details — size, margin and contrast all matter once it's on paper.

Next#

Learn what makes a printed code read first time in Barcodes that scan reliably, or add a retail code with Adding a barcode.