Website QR codes — Troubleshooting

Worked example

A blocked export means a missing http(s):// start or contrast under 4.5:1; a code that fails on paper is usually too small or too dense.

When a website QR misbehaves, the symptom tells you where to look. If the export buttons are greyed out and a red message appears, either the URL is missing its http:// or https:// start, or the color pair has a contrast under 4.5:1; the message quotes the minimum contrast it measured, so lighten the background or darken the code.

A code that scans on the monitor but fails on paper is the most common complaint. Look for a quiet border below about 18 px, a print smaller than roughly 2 cm for a 25-module code, glossy stock that reflects the lamp, and a pale gradient end that prints lighter than it looked. Reprint one proof at 3 cm with an error-correction level of H and a border of 40 px and compare.

If the scan takes several seconds or only works at a certain angle, the pattern is probably too dense for its printed size. A long address with tracking parameters, plus a large center logo, pushes the module count up and shrinks each square. Shorten the address, lower the logo size toward 15 percent or less, or print larger.

Say a bakery scans its card and lands on an old page. The code is not at fault: a static QR keeps the address it was made with, so the page itself changed or the card was generated from an earlier address. Fix the destination by redirecting the old address on your own site; the printed card cannot be updated.

If the camera offers a text result instead of opening a link, the scanner is showing the content because the text did not start with a scheme or contained a stray space or line break. Re-type the field rather than pasting from a document, and export again.

https://example.com/guide

QR encoding the same URL

Fix the cause in the settings and re-export; a faulty printed code cannot be repaired afterward, only replaced.