---
title: 'Free QR code from a link: how to create and use one · skrat.im'
description: 'How to make a QR code from any address without signing up, which format to use for print, and why encoding a short link beats encoding a long one.'
url: https://skrat.im/en/guides/qr-code-from-a-link/
lang: en
---

# Free QR code from a link: how to create and use one

How to make a QR code from any address without signing up, which format to use for print, and why encoding a short link beats encoding a long one.

Published: 2026-09-05

A QR code is an address rewritten as an image that a phone reads with its camera. It belongs wherever people have nothing to click on: a poster, a business card, packaging, a menu or a slide.

## A QR code for every link

On skrat.im every short link gets a QR code automatically. After shortening, click **QR code** to see a preview and download links in SVG and PNG. The code is also available straight from the address: add `.png` or `.svg` after the short link.

```
https://skrat.im/concert.png?size=1024
https://skrat.im/concert.svg?fg=1a4ed8&bg=ffffff
```

The `fg` and `bg` parameters set the foreground and background colours, `size` the PNG width in pixels (64 to 2048) and `margin` the white border in modules.

## Why encode a short link rather than a long address

A QR code of a long address has many tiny squares. The more there are, the bigger the printed code has to be for a camera to read it, and the more sensitive it becomes to creases and bad light. A short link like `skrat.im/abc` gives a code with chunky, easily readable modules.

The second reason is practical: **a printed code cannot be changed, a short link can**. When the destination page changes, edit the link and every poster with the code keeps working. And since each scan is a click on the short link, the statistics show how many people actually scanned it.

## Printing a QR code properly

- Keep a **white margin** around the code at least one module wide; skrat.im adds it automatically.
- Keep the **contrast**: dark modules on a light background. Some phones cannot read inverted codes.
- The minimum size on paper is about **2 × 2 cm** for a code made from a short link. For a poster read by passers-by plan a bigger code: roughly a tenth of the distance it should be scanned from.
- Before printing, **scan the code** from the screen and from a test print.

## What to write under the code

People scan more willingly when they know what to expect. A short line such as "Programme and tickets" raises the number of scans more than any decoration. If you use a custom alias, print the link itself under the code too: anyone without a phone at hand can type it.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which QR code format should I use for print?

SVG. It is a vector, so it scales to poster size without blurring. Use PNG on the web and in documents that cannot embed SVG.

### Can I change where a QR code leads after printing?

If the QR code encodes a skrat.im short link, yes: change the destination of the link and the printed code keeps working. If it encodes the long address directly, no.

### Does a QR code expire?

No, as long as the link it encodes is valid. On skrat.im links do not expire unless you set an expiry yourself.