Glossary
Vector graphic
A vector graphic describes shapes mathematically rather than as a grid of pixels, so it can be scaled to any size without loss. For QR codes it is the correct format for anything that will be printed.
The practical difference
Scale a 300 × 300 px PNG QR code to fill an A0 poster and every module edge becomes a soft gradient, because the renderer is inventing pixels between the ones you gave it. Scale an SVG and every edge stays exact.
Decoders threshold the image to decide dark from light. Soft edges push modules toward the threshold, and near the limits of camera resolution that is the difference between a scan and a shrug.
Formats
- SVG — the web-native choice, editable as text.
- PDF — what commercial printers usually want; embeds vector directly.
- EPS — legacy, still requested by some print shops.
UseQR exports SVG and PDF alongside raster formats, and the vector output is generated from the module matrix rather than traced from an image.
Related
- SVG — SVG is a vector image format, and the right one for QR codes. Because the pattern is described as shapes rather than pixels, it prints crisply at any size…
- DPI (dots per inch) — DPI is printing resolution. For QR codes it matters because each module must be rendered from a whole number of printer dots — 300 dpi is the practical…
- Module — A module is one square cell of a QR code — the smallest unit of the pattern. Codes are measured in modules, not pixels or millimetres, because the module…