OnlineQRCodeGenerator.com

Make a coloured QR code

A QR code doesn't have to be black. Any colour works — including gradients — as long as one rule holds: the code must be clearly darker than its background. Scanners don't see colour, they see brightness, so every styling decision is really a contrast decision.

  1. 1

    Enter your content

    Fill in the fields as usual.

  2. 2

    Pick your colours or a gradient

    Use the colour pickers for foreground and background, or switch on the gradient and choose two tones plus an angle. The palette swatches are quick starting points that all keep safe contrast.

  3. 3

    Test the preview, then download

    Scan the preview with your phone — not just your eyes — before downloading. Then export PNG, SVG or PDF; the colours are baked into every format.

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The contrast rule, precisely

Phone cameras convert your code to greyscale before decoding. A dark navy code on a cream background has huge luminance contrast and scans instantly; a mid-grey code on a mid-blue background may look fine to you and be nearly invisible to a scanner. Aim for the foreground to be at least three to four times darker in perceived brightness.

Hard no's: light code on dark background (inverted — many readers refuse it entirely), red on black, yellow on white, and any pairing of two mid-tones.

Gradients that work

Gradients scan reliably when both ends are dark and the variation is in hue, not lightness — deep teal into deep blue, burgundy into near-black. A gradient from dark to light is the trap: the light end of the pattern disappears against the background and the code dies at one corner.

Use the angle slider to match the gradient direction to your branding, and test on a real phone at the final size; gradients that pass on your bright monitor can fail on paper in dim light.

Colour and print

Printers render colour differently from screens. Pale, saturated colours (cyan, yellow, light green) come out lighter on paper than on your monitor. If the code will be printed, choose colours at the dark end of your palette and, for critical jobs, print one test sheet and scan it before the run.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Never invert (light modules on dark background) — it fails on a large share of phones.
  • Avoid gradients that travel from dark to light.
  • Don't set the background to a colour similar in brightness to the foreground, even if the hues differ.

Common questions

Can a QR code be any colour?

Almost any, as long as it stays much darker than its background and is not inverted.

Do coloured codes scan as fast as black ones?

With good contrast, yes — the difference is imperceptible. With poor contrast, they may not scan at all.

Can I use my exact brand hex codes?

Yes — enter them in the colour pickers. If your brand colour is pale, use it as the background and a dark companion colour for the code.

Will the colours survive printing?

Colours shift slightly in print, usually darker and duller. Dark foregrounds are the safe side of that shift.