How to add a logo to a QR code without ruining scans
A centre image can improve recognition, but it deliberately hides data. Use it conservatively and test the finished export.
Keep the image centred, square and modest, preserve all three position markers, use high error correction and place a clean margin around the image. A maximum around 20 to 25 percent is a safer everyday target than filling the entire centre. Always test the downloaded file and the final physical print.
A logo covers information
A QR code with a logo is not magically leaving an empty hole in the original data. The generator uses error correction and hides modules behind the image, relying on the remaining pattern to reconstruct the message. That recovery capacity is limited.
The safe image area becomes smaller as the code becomes denser or the print becomes less precise. A logo that works in a large digital preview may fail after the design is reduced for a label.
Prepare the image before uploading
Use a square PNG when you need transparency, or a high-quality JPG or WebP for a photo. Crop away unused space so the recognisable part of the logo is not tiny inside a large transparent canvas. Simple shapes and strong contrast remain visible at small sizes.
A white or plain margin around the image helps separate it from the QR modules. Do not upload a complicated photograph and expect small text or facial details to remain readable in the centre of a printed code.
- ✓Crop to a square before upload.
- ✓Remove unnecessary transparent padding.
- ✓Avoid text that becomes unreadable below one centimetre.
- ✓Use an image you have permission to publish.
Protect the functional parts
The three large corner markers establish position and orientation. Never overlap them. Keep the external quiet zone intact and avoid placing decorative frames so close that a scanner treats them as part of the grid.
Use dark modules and a light background while testing. Once the logo version works reliably, you can evaluate brand colours, but change one variable at a time so you know which choice causes a failure.
Test the export, not the editor
A live preview proves that the generator can draw the image, not that every phone can scan the final result. Download the PNG and SVG, open them separately and scan them. Then place the chosen file into the print design without stretching or cropping.
Print one proof at the final dimensions. Test in normal lighting, at the intended distance and with more than one phone. Reduce the logo or simplify the colours if scanning is delayed.
Practical next step
Start with a 20 percent centre image, dark modules and a white background. Increase the image only after the final-size proof scans quickly on multiple phones.
Open the QR designer ↗