How to make your own QR code barcode with a logo in it.

QR codes might be useful for putting on websites, business cards, clothing, buildings with coloured bricks or cunningly place windows to form a giant QR code?

Method in brief:
Use a QR code generator with error correction set as high as possible.
Draw a logo on the barcode, relying on error correction to make up for the lost data.

Or The full story:

You will need.......
Paint / Paint Shop Pro / Gimp / Photoshop (pretty much any drawing software will do).
An internet connection (but if you are reading this I guess that one should not be a problem).

Step 1: Generate the Barcode

Go to the Raco QR code generator.

Add the message you want to be included in the barcode.

Set error correction to H (~30% of codewords can be restored).

Generate the barcode.

Save the barcode: Right click on the barcode image and save as….

Step 2: Add the Logo

Open the barcode picture in your image editor.

I found it easiest to make it so that each square in the barcode represented a single pixel, to do this I reduced the picture to 25% scale.

Best to do a “save as” at this point as you don’t want to accidentally write over the original barcode as you may need it again if you make a mistake.

Draw your logo, keep it small or it will cover too much of the barcode. If you cover too much of the barcode the error correction will not be enough to allow the barcode to be read. I found it easiest to draw the logo to the side of the barcode and paste it on top when done.

Test it the barcode can still be read, I used the Barcode Scanner Android app by ZXing.

Some image editors will make the barcode fuzzy when you try to enlarge the barcode. To get around this problem you can zoom in on the picture and then take a print screen.

Done

Have Fun