Scan Me Sticker Generator

Q: How small can a Scan Me sticker be?

It depends entirely on how long your link is, which is why this tool reports millimetres per module rather than just letting you pick a size. A short link like example.com/menu works fine at 25mm; the same sticker carrying a 100-character tracked URL produces modules under 0.4mm, which a phone camera cannot resolve. If you need small stickers, shorten the link first — that is far more effective than any print setting.

Q: What is bleed and do I need it?

Bleed is artwork that extends past the cut line, so that when the cutting machine drifts by a fraction of a millimetre it still cuts through your design rather than past its edge. Without it you get a thin white sliver along one side. Most sticker printers require 2 to 3mm, and this tool extends the sticker's own background colour into that area rather than leaving it white, so any overrun is invisible.

Q: Why is the dashed red line not in my download?

Because it is a guide, not part of the design. It shows you where the sticker will be trimmed so you can see how much bleed you have. A commercial printer cuts to the trim box defined in their template, so a line drawn into the artwork would simply be printed on the finished sticker — which is why it is excluded from the export.

Q: Can I use my brand colours?

Yes, within limits that the analysis enforces. QR scanning depends on contrast between the modules and the background, so aim for at least 7:1 — the tool calculates the ratio and warns when you are below it. Two things to avoid: light modules on a dark background, which many scanners refuse outright, and very low-contrast pastel pairs, which look fine on a bright screen and fail on vinyl under shop lighting.

Q: What resolution should I export at?

300 dpi for anything commercially printed — it is the standard print threshold and gives crisp module edges at every sticker size here. 600 dpi is worth it only for very small stickers where the modules are physically tiny and you want the sharpest possible edges. 150 dpi is for checking a layout on your own printer, not for ordering.

Q: Why is error correction locked to level H?

Because a sticker is the most abused surface a QR code ever lives on. It gets scratched, lifted at the corners, rained on and cleaned over. Level H can reconstruct about 30% of a damaged code, which is what keeps a scuffed table sticker working months after it went down. The cost is a slightly denser code, and that cost is accounted for in the millimetres-per-module figure the analysis reports.

Design a print-ready Scan Me sticker with your QR code, caption, shape and bleed.

Where should it go?

Caption

Set in capitals automatically. Short works best.

Second line (optional)

Sticker

Shape

Finished size

Print resolution

Bleed 3.0 mm

Ink #111111

Sticker #ffffff

The red dashed line is the cut line — it marks where the sticker is trimmed and is not included in the download.

What It Does

This tool wraps your QR code in a finished sticker — a frame, a caption and an optional second line — and lays the whole thing out in real millimetres so what you download is the size you ordered. It adds the print bleed sticker printers ask for, and it tells you the one number that decides whether the sticker works: how many millimetres across each module of the code ends up. A 25mm sticker carrying a long tracked URL produces modules a phone simply cannot resolve, and that is only obvious once you have the number.

When to Use It

You want table stickers pointing at your menu, sized so they scan from a seated position.
You are putting a review prompt on the counter and want it to look designed rather than a bare code taped down.
You ship products and want a sticker on the box or bag that links to instructions or a discount.
You want a window decal for out-of-hours enquiries, big enough to scan from the pavement.

Worked Examples

Table sticker — 50mm, rounded

The default case. A short link on a 50mm sticker gives large modules and a comfortable scan distance — check the millimetres-per-module figure in the analysis.

Small label with a long link — the failure case

A 25mm circle carrying a tracked URL. The analysis turns red — the modules fall below what a phone camera can resolve. Shorten the link or use a bigger sticker; there is no third option.

Window decal — 150mm circle

Large format, where the interesting number is scan distance rather than module size. Roughly ten times the code's width is the working rule, which the analysis reports in centimetres.

Common Mistakes

Ordering a small sticker for a long link. Sticker size and link length pull against each other: the longer the URL, the more modules the code needs, and the smaller each one becomes at a fixed sticker size. Below about 0.4mm per module a phone cannot resolve them at any sensible distance. Shorten the link before shrinking the sticker.
Exporting without bleed. Cutting machines drift by a fraction of a millimetre, and without extra artwork past the cut line that drift leaves a white sliver along one edge. Most sticker printers require 2 to 3mm; this tool adds it and extends the background colour into it.
Including the cut line in the artwork. The dashed line here is a preview guide only and is deliberately left out of the download — a printer's cutter follows the file's trim box, so a drawn line would end up printed on the finished sticker.
Using a light code on a dark sticker. It photographs beautifully and scans badly: most decoders expect dark modules on a light background, and many refuse to read the inverse. Vinyl gloss makes it worse by adding reflections.
Putting the caption where the code should be. A big caption and a small code looks balanced on screen and fails in use. The code is the functional part — the words only need to be legible enough to explain what it is for.

Features

Rounded

square and circular stickers

Six finished sizes from 25mm to 150mm

Caption plus optional second line

Configurable print bleed with the background extended into it

Preview-only cut line

never exported

Millimetres-per-module check against the scanning floor

Estimated scan distance

Error correction fixed at level H for durability

150

300 or 600 dpi export

Runs entirely in your browser

How to Use

1. Enter the link the sticker should open. 2. Set the caption and, if you want one, a second line. 3. Choose the shape and the finished size you intend to order. 4. Check the print analysis — particularly the millimetres per module and whether it clears the scanning floor. 5. Leave bleed at 3mm unless your printer specifies otherwise, then download at 300 dpi. 6. Print one and scan it from where people will actually stand before ordering the batch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How small can a Scan Me sticker be?

What is bleed and do I need it?

Why is the dashed red line not in my download?

Can I use my brand colours?

What resolution should I export at?

Why is error correction locked to level H?

Everything runs in your browser — your link is never uploaded and no sticker is stored. The exported PNG includes bleed but no cut line, crop marks or colour profile; if your printer requires those, place this image into their template. Colours are RGB and will shift slightly in CMYK printing, so avoid low-contrast combinations. Always print and scan a single sticker before ordering a batch.