QR Studio

QR design in the Studio: a code you want to scan

Colour, shape and effects decide whether a code looks modern or fails at the till. Here is the range where it keeps working.

What you can change without risk

The QR standard asks for one thing only: the pattern must be clearly darker than the background. The exact colour is up to you.

Module shapeSquares, dots or rounded corners — the grid is identical.

Brand colourDark blue, green or burgundy all work.

BackgroundPlain and light. No photo behind the code.

Brand colours are therefore fine. Keep the contrast strong and the code dark on light, and scanners see the same pattern.

What breaks scanning

An inverted code — light pattern on a dark background — fails on a lot of older phone cameras.

Pastel colours, heavy gradients and busy backgrounds blur the edges the decoder needs, so the camera keeps hunting for focus.

One test before you print

Open the preview on an older phone and scan it from about 30 cm in normal room light, not in the sun.

Two seconds without a retry is the pass mark. If it struggles, darken the colour or drop the effect — no design is worth a lost scan.