Where to Find a Link's QR Code and Download It as PNG or SVG

A link's QR code is on its page in the SendURL console, in the QR card, with two downloads: PNG and SVG. Every short link has one, on every plan, so there's nothing to create or switch on, and each scan is counted as a click and marked as a QR scan.

This post shows where the card is, which file to download for what, and how the scans are counted. For what the feature includes and an example code, see the free QR code with scan tracking page. The console's codes are plain dark-on-white, with no logo, color or frame options.

Where to find a link's QR code

In the console, open any link's page. The QR card shows the code, a line such as "120 clicks, 34 from QR", and two downloads:

• Download PNG: a 1024-pixel image, good for slides, documents and the web
• Download SVG: a vector file that stays sharp at any size, best for print

The files are named after the slug, such as spring-menu-qr.png. The same card appears right after you create a link, so you can download the code straight away.

The guest shortener on the home page makes QR codes too. Those carry a small SendURL mark in the middle; the codes in the console are plain. For a code with your own colours and size, or one for text instead of a link, use the free QR code generator.

How scans are counted

A SendURL QR code encodes the short link with ?q on the end, such as snu.to/spring-menu?q. When someone scans it, SendURL sees the ?q, records the click as a QR scan, and redirects to your destination. The ?q isn't passed on: the visitor lands on exactly the destination you set.

So a scan is a normal click with a label. It's included in the link's total clicks and in every chart, and you can pick scans out in three places:

• The QR card's "clicks, from QR" line
• A QR badge on each scan in the link's Recent clicks list, and "QR scan" on the click's own page
• qrScans in GET /links/:id, and a source of qr on each scan from the API

Everything recorded for a click is recorded for a scan too, such as country, device, browser and time. See What SendURL records for every click.

One caveat: the label comes from the URL, not from the camera. If someone copies the address a QR code opened, ?q included, and pastes it into a chat, taps on it count as scans too. In practice this is rare.

What scanners see when a link isn't live

A QR code points at the short link for as long as the paper exists, so what a scan shows follows the link:

• A disabled link shows the "Link not found" page
• An expired link shows the "Link expired" page
• A link at its visit limit shows the "Visit limit reached" page
• A password-protected link asks for the password first

The QR card warns you whenever one of these applies, and reminds you that disabling a link stops every printed copy of its code.

Printing tips

The essentials are below; sizes, quiet zones and scanning distance are covered in QR code size for print.

• Use the SVG for print. It scales without blurring, from a sticker to a banner.
• Keep the white border around the code. It's part of the code, and scanners need it.
• Test at the final size. Scan a printed proof with two or three different phones, from the distance people will actually stand, before a full print run.
• Keep it dark on light. The code is near-black on white, which every scanner reads; don't invert it or place it on a busy background.
• Shorter slugs make simpler codes. A five-character random slug gives a less dense pattern than a long custom one, which helps at small sizes.

One link per placement

The most useful habit with QR codes is giving each placement its own short link. Make snu.to/menu-window for the window poster and snu.to/menu-table for the table cards, both pointing at the same menu. Each gets its own QR code and its own click count, so you can see which placement people actually scan. Projects keep a set of placements together.

Printed codes and changing destinations

A printed QR code can't change, but the link behind it can. Because the code encodes the short link and not your destination, you can change where the link points through the API and every printed copy follows. The slug is what's fixed, so choose it with care before you print, and don't delete a link that's on paper: deleting frees the slug for someone else.

Download a QR code in three steps

1. 1.
   Create a link in the console with Create link, or open an existing one from Links.
2. 2.
   In the QR card, choose Download PNG or Download SVG.
3. 3.
   Print it, put it up, and check the card for scans.

To compare scans with clicks across a whole campaign, and how this differs from "dynamic QR code" services, see how to track QR code scans.