Questions about Codeshed

Short answers to the things people ask us most.

Is Codeshed really free?

Yes, making codes is free. You can make QR codes and barcodes, change the colours, add a centre logo, set the error-correction level and download PNG, SVG or PDF files without paying anything.

There is no sign-up, no trial that ends, and no watermark on your downloads. The website is paid for by the adverts you see around the tools. Single codes stay free for everyone: we would rather not put a card form in front of something as ordinary as a QR code. Sticker sheets and batches of many codes at once come with the Codeshed app subscription, Codeshed Plus, which is coming soon.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up, no email address to confirm and no password to remember. Open the tool, enter your details, and download the file.

Because there is no account, there is also nothing saved for you between visits. Your codes are not stored in a library you can come back to, so download what you make and keep the file somewhere sensible. We suggest keeping the SVG as well as the PNG, since the SVG can be resized later without going soft at the edges. If you need the same code again and you have lost the file, you can simply generate it again from the same details.

Do my codes expire?

No. The codes Codeshed makes are static, which means the information is encoded in the pattern itself.

A QR code pointing at your website contains that web address directly, so scanning it does not pass through Codeshed at all. Nothing is checked against our servers, nothing has to be renewed, and nothing stops working if the site changes or disappears. The same is true of barcodes: the number is in the bars. A code you print today will still scan in ten years, as long as the ink survives and whatever it points to still exists. That last part is worth remembering, because a code outlives the web page behind it.

Can I use the codes commercially, on products and packaging?

Yes. You can use codes made on Codeshed for anything, including commercial work, printed products, packaging, menus, signage and labels. There is no licence to buy and no attribution required.

A QR code is a published, royalty-free standard, and so are the barcode symbologies we draw. What we produce is simply an image of your own data, so it is yours.

One caution for retail packaging: the artwork is free, but the number inside a retail barcode is not something we can give you. See the question below about shop barcodes. Before any print run, test the final artwork with a few real phones and, where relevant, a proper scanner.

Where are my codes made, and does Codeshed see what I type?

Your codes are made in your own browser, on your own device. Nothing you type is sent to a server, unless you choose Save to my app on a computer linked to the Codeshed app: that sends the code end-to-end encrypted to your own phone, and we can’t read it.

When you enter a web address, a Wi-Fi password, contact details or a payment reference, that text stays on your machine and the image is drawn there too. We never receive it, so we cannot read it, store it, lose it or hand it to anyone.

This matters most for the Wi-Fi generator, since a Wi-Fi QR code contains your network password in plain form. Treat the finished image the way you would treat the password itself, and think about where you stick it.

Can I use it offline?

Yes. Once the page has loaded, Codeshed keeps working without a connection.

The generators run entirely in your browser, so there is no server call to make when you click. If you load the site and then lose your signal, or put your laptop into flight mode, you can carry on making codes and downloading files as normal. This is useful on a stand at an event, in a warehouse, on a boat, or anywhere the wifi is unreliable.

You will need a connection to load the page in the first place, and adverts will not load while you are offline. The tools themselves do not mind.

What file should I download, PNG, SVG or PDF?

Use SVG for anything that will be printed, and PNG for anything that will be viewed on a screen.

If you are unsure, download the SVG as well. It costs nothing and saves you regenerating later. There is more in our guide on printing codes.

Why won't my code scan?

Nine times in ten it is size, contrast or the quiet zone.

Test on a cheap phone as well as a new one, and under the lighting the code will actually live in.

How big should I print it?

As a rough rule, a QR code should be about one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A code read at arm's length, say 30cm, wants to be around 3cm across. One on a poster read from three metres wants to be around 30cm.

That is a starting point, not a law. Dense codes holding long web addresses need more room than simple ones, and a code on a curved surface, a soft material or a glossy finish needs more again. Add margin where you can afford it, since a code that is slightly too big costs nothing and a code that is slightly too small costs you the scan.

Our guide on QR code size goes through this properly, with sizes for common uses.

Can I put my logo in the middle?

Yes, and Codeshed will place one for you. It works because QR codes carry error correction, a deliberate surplus of data that lets a scanner rebuild the message when part of the pattern is damaged or hidden.

A logo simply uses up that surplus. At the highest error-correction level a code can tolerate a fair amount of covering, but once a logo blocks more than roughly a quarter of the pattern, scanning starts to fail, slowly at first and then for good. Keep the logo central, keep it modest, and never cover the three large squares in the corners.

Whatever you do, test the finished code on more than one phone before it goes to print. Error correction is forgiving, not infinite.

Can I change where a code points after I have printed it?

Not a code made on the website. Website codes are static, and a static code cannot be changed, because the web address is encoded in the pattern itself. Reprinting is the only way to point it somewhere else.

The usual way round this is to encode a short link you control, rather than the final destination. Put your own short URL in the code, and point that short URL wherever you like. The printed pattern never changes, but the page it opens can. You keep the control, and nothing depends on us staying in business.

This is the honest difference between what people call static and dynamic codes, and it is worth understanding before a print run. Our guide on static versus dynamic codes explains the trade-offs.

Tracked codes in the Codeshed app (coming soon) can be changed after printing. They come with Codeshed Plus, the app’s subscription, count scans without storing anyone’s IP address, and keep forwarding to their last saved address if the subscription ends.

Is there a Codeshed app?

Yes. It is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad now, and coming soon to Android. It is free to download, and makes the same codes as the website. Codeshed Plus, an optional subscription (£3.99 a month or £29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial), adds tracked codes, sticker sheets and batches, and removes the app’s ads.

Your codes stay on your phone and in your own phone backup. There is no account, password or email. You can also link a computer to the app and save codes from the website to it.

Can I make a real shop barcode for my product?

Partly. Codeshed draws the barcode, but it cannot give you the number, and for retail the number is the part that matters.

EAN-13 and UPC-A numbers identify your company and your product in a global register, and they must be bought from GS1, the organisation that issues them. No generator can invent a valid one for you. Once you have your number from GS1, paste it into Codeshed and we will produce the barcode artwork as PNG, SVG or PDF.

If the labels are only for your own use, for stock, shelves, assets or internal picking, you do not need GS1 at all. Code 128 handles that nicely. Our guide on which barcode to use covers the rest.

Can I make lots of codes at once?

Not on the free website. Batches, many codes at once from a list, a spreadsheet or running numbers, come with the Codeshed app subscription, Codeshed Plus (coming soon), together with printable sticker sheets. They open in the app, and on a computer linked to it.

Until then you can make each code on its own, for free. Use Save my style in step 3, then Use my saved style on the next code, so every code in your set matches.

Who makes Codeshed?

Codeshed is made by Third Coffee Studio Ltd, a small independent company registered in England and Wales, company number 17517422.

We build free, ad-supported everyday tools. Codeshed is one of them; our sister site Tantoo, at tantoo.app, handles everyday measurements and conversions.

There is no support department, but there is an inbox that a person reads. If something is broken, if a code will not scan and you cannot work out why, or if there is a format you wish we handled, write to codeshed@thirdcoffeestudio.com. We would rather hear about a fault than have you assume it is your fault. There is more on the About page.

Something else?

Email codeshed@thirdcoffeestudio.com and a person will read it. The guides go into more detail.

Codeshed is a trading name of Third Coffee Studio Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17517422.