qr-code-build

Design · Logo

QR code with logo generator

Error correction is why this works at all. The code carries enough redundancy to lose a chunk of itself and still decode — as long as you take the chunk from the right place.

  • Free
  • No sign-up
  • No expiry
  • Commercial use
Short answer

You can place a logo in the centre of a QR code because Reed–Solomon error correction reconstructs missing data. Set error correction to level H, keep the logo under about 25% of the width, centre it, and never cover the three corner finder patterns.

Contents
How it works

Redundancy, not magic

QR codes use Reed–Solomon error correction, the same family of codes that keeps scratched CDs playing. Redundant blocks are interleaved across the whole grid, so damage in one region can be reconstructed from data elsewhere.

LevelRecoverableSensible logo coverage
L7%None — do not use with a logo
M15%Up to about 10%, cautiously
Q25%Up to about 15%
H30%Up to about 25%

The headline percentage is not a budget you can spend to the last point. Interleaving means real-world damage is never distributed as evenly as the theory assumes, and printing adds its own losses. Leave margin.

Placement

Centre, and only centre

The centre of a QR code is the safest place to lose data. The three corners are the worst: those finder patterns are how a scanner locates and orients the code, and they are not protected by error correction at all. Cover one and the code stops being findable rather than merely damaged.

Also avoid:

  • The timing patterns — the alternating dark and light lines running between the finders along row and column six.
  • The alignment patterns, the smaller square targets in larger codes.
  • The strip just outside each finder, which carries format information about the correction level and mask.

The generator places the logo centrally and knocks out a clean panel behind it, which gives the decoder a clean boundary rather than a ragged overlap.

Logo files

What to upload

  • Square or near-square. Wide logos have to shrink to fit within the safe area, which makes them illegible anyway. Use a mark rather than a full lockup.
  • Simple. The logo will be rendered at maybe 5 mm on a business card. Fine detail disappears.
  • High contrast against white. The knockout panel behind it is light.
  • Transparent PNG or SVG. Both work; the file is read locally and never uploaded.
  • Not the whole brand. A code with a logo is still a code. If the mark needs to be big, put it next to the code instead of inside it.
Questions

Frequently asked

Will adding a logo break my QR code?
Not if you set error correction to H, keep the logo under 25% of the width, and keep it away from the three corners. Always test the export before printing.
Is my logo uploaded to your server?
No. The image is read by your browser and drawn onto the canvas locally. It never leaves the device.
How big can the logo be?
About 25% of the code width at level H. Beyond that you are relying on redundancy that printing and lighting may already have eaten into.
Why does my logo code scan on screen but not in print?
Print loses contrast that a backlit screen provides. Shrink the logo, print larger, and use a matte finish.
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Last reviewed 24 August 2026 · Checked by the QR Code Builder team