Adding a logo without breaking your QR code

A logo makes a code recognizable, but it also hides part of the pattern. The trick is to hide only as much as the code can recover.

Error correction does the work

QR codes store spare data. At the highest level, H, roughly 30% of the data can be lost and the code still reads. That’s why QR Studio switches to H as soon as you add a logo.

Keep the logo small

The 30% figure is a ceiling, not a target. Scratches, glare and low print quality use up the same spare capacity. Covering 30% of the code’s width already hides far more than that of its data, so QR Studio lets you set the logo between 15% and 27% of the width and warns you above 24%. Those limits come from decoding tests on dense codes.

Why the center?

The three large squares in the corners tell scanners where the code is and how it’s rotated. They must never be covered. The center holds ordinary data that error correction can rebuild, so it’s the safest place for a logo.

Give it some space

A plain background plate behind the logo, square or round, separates it from the modules around it and helps scanners. Keep a strong contrast between the code and its background.

Your logo is processed in your browser and embedded in the downloaded file. It is never uploaded.

Before printing, test the code with two different phones. If one hesitates, make the logo smaller or print the code bigger.