Free QR code generator that never expires
Your destination URL is encoded directly into the QR pattern — not stored on a redirect server we could shut down, expire, or start charging for. Download print-ready files in seconds. No account, no watermark, no monthly fee.
Three steps. About thirty seconds.
Any URL — your website, menu page, booking form, review link. It gets encoded exactly as written.
Pick pattern shapes, corner eyes and colors that match your brand. The preview updates as you go.
Grab a high-res or transparent PNG and send it to print. It's yours — no watermark, no strings.
Built for things you print once.
Printed materials can't be reprinted every time a link service changes its terms. Direct encoding means they never have to be.
A card sitting in a drawer for five years should still reach your portfolio. Cards outlive subscriptions.
Read the guide →Ten thousand printed boxes shouldn't depend on a billing relationship.
Read the guide →High error correction survives weather, tape, and being read across a room.
Read the guide →Machines outlast software vendors. A code on a nameplate needs to resolve for the life of the asset.
Read the guide →Static vs dynamic QR codes: which do you need?
Static QR codes store the destination inside the pattern. They can't be edited after printing, can't be tracked, and can't expire. This is what EtchedQR makes.
Dynamic QR codes store a short link that redirects through the provider's server. You can change the destination later and see scan statistics — but the code only works while your account stays active and paid.
Choose static for anything printed in volume or meant to last: menus, packaging, business cards, signage, engraved plates, vehicle livery.
Choose dynamic for short campaigns where the destination genuinely isn't decided yet, and where you're willing to keep paying for as long as the print exists.
You can get flexibility without a dynamic code
Point your static code at a URL you control — yoursite.com/menu — and change what that page shows whenever you like. You keep full control of the destination, permanently, without renting a redirect from anyone.
Why "free trial" QR codes stop working.
Not sure what size to print?
The golden rule for QR code sizing is a 10:1 distance-to-size ratio. If a poster is read from 100 cm away, the QR code needs to be at least 10 cm wide.
Read our full QR code sizing guide →Common questions
Do QR codes expire?
The QR pattern itself never expires — it is an image containing text and stays readable indefinitely. What expires is the service behind some codes. A dynamic QR code routes through the provider's server, so it stops working when a trial ends or a subscription lapses. Codes that contain the destination URL directly have no service to expire and keep working as long as the destination page exists. Read the full breakdown →
What is the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code?
A static QR code stores the actual URL inside the pattern. A dynamic QR code stores a short link that redirects through the provider's server. Static codes cannot be edited or tracked but cannot expire. Dynamic codes can be edited and tracked but stop working if the account lapses.
What size should a printed QR code be?
Minimum width should be the scan distance divided by ten. A code read from one metre away needs to be at least 10 cm wide. Business cards need about 2 cm, menus and flyers about 3 cm, and posters 15 cm or more.
Can I change the URL after printing a QR code?
Not within the code itself. Encode a URL you control, such as yoursite.com/menu, and change what that page shows at any time. This keeps the destination flexible without depending on a third-party redirect service.
Ready to create a QR code that lasts?
No tracking, no subscriptions, and absolutely free. Generate your high-resolution QR code directly in your browser.
Create my QR code