Comparisons
Static vs Dynamic QR Codes
What the redirect actually buys you, measured on real encoded codes, and which payloads are worse off for it.
16 min readQR code for Facebook
Facebook gives most pages two addresses, and one of them makes a much smaller printed code. This turns either into a scannable code, and measures the difference so the one on your window is as small as it can safely be.
Download your QR code
✓ Scan-tested: this code reads back correctly.
Contrast 21:1, Strong
Version 3 · 37 modules · print at least 14.8 mm wide
Facebook already has a code. Here is what it cannot do.
Facebook has a QR code inside the mobile app, under the menu, and Pages can generate one from the admin tools for some purposes. You will find it under Facebook app, menu, QR code. For meeting somebody in person it is the faster option, and this page is not trying to replace it. It runs out in four places.
- It is app-only and comes out as an image, so there is no vector file for a printer and no control over the resolution.
- It points at the profile or page it was generated from and nothing else. A specific post, an event or a group needs a code you make yourself.
- The design is fixed, so it cannot match a shop window or a menu you have already laid out.
- It is hard to find and moves between app versions, which is why most people end up generating one instead.
Which Facebook link to encode, measured
Characters become modules, and modules decide how small the code can be printed and still read. These are the same link, in the forms Facebook actually hands out, each one encoded and decoded when this page was built.
| Link form | Characters | Version | Modules | Print at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page with a claimed usernamehttps://facebook.com/examplecafeClaim it in Page settings. Shortest form and the one to print. | 32 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| Page with a numeric idhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064823917465What Facebook assigns before a username is claimed. Long, unmemorable, and the densest code on this table. | 55 | 4 | 41 | 16.4 mm |
| A grouphttps://facebook.com/groups/exampleclubGroups keep their own path. Useful for clubs and community noticeboards. | 39 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| An eventhttps://facebook.com/events/1234567890123456Event identifiers are long and cannot be shortened. Print these larger. | 44 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
Claiming a username is the highest-value thing you can do before printing a Facebook code. The numeric profile address exists only to be unique, and every one of those fifteen digits becomes modules in the symbol.
Events are the outlier. An event identifier is a long number with no short form, so an event code is always denser than a page code and needs a larger print size.
Where a Facebook code actually goes
- Shop windows and A-boards
- Read from a metre or more away, often at an angle and through glass. Print well above the measured minimum and keep the contrast high.
- Community noticeboards and club signs
- Where a group link earns its place. Print the group name in text as well, because people decide whether to scan based on what it says, not the square.
- Menus, receipts and packaging
- A close read with limited space, which is exactly why the claimed username matters.
Three ways these go wrong
- Printing the numeric profile URL
- It works, and it is much bigger than it needs to be. Claim a username first and the same printed size reads from further away.
- Encoding a link copied from the app's share sheet
- It often carries tracking parameters that mean nothing once the address is a printed square, and they make the code denser.
- Assuming a scan opens the Facebook app
- It opens whatever the phone does with a facebook.com address, which for a logged-out person is a login wall. That is the platform's behaviour, not the code's.
The download here stays locked until a decoder has read the finished code back, so the first of those cannot happen to a file you get from this page. For a code whose destination might need to change after printing, the dynamic generator keeps the printed symbol and moves the target.
Codes for the other platforms
Same engine, different link anatomy on each one. The social media hub covers what applies to all of them: the screenshot problem, the codes that only scan inside their own app, and why one code beats six.
Messaging and communities
Where a code opens a chat or gets somebody into a server. Watch the invite expiry on Discord.
- WhatsApp33 modules, from 13.2 mmOpen a chat with your number, with the plus and the dialling zero fixed for you.Make a WhatsApp code
- Telegram33 modules, from 13.2 mmEncode a t.me username, group or channel, with the invite-link revocation trap explained.Make a Telegram code
- Discord37 modules, from 14.8 mmEncode a server invite, with the default expiry setting that kills printed codes explained first.Make a Discord code
- Reddit37 modules, from 14.8 mmSubreddit, profile and post links measured, including the title slug you can safely delete.Make a Reddit code
Video
Long identifiers on both, so the short link form is the difference between a code you can print and one you cannot.
Photo and visual
Two of these ship a code a phone camera cannot read, and one retired theirs entirely.
- Instagram37 modules, from 14.8 mmA profile, reel or post as a printable vector code, rather than the screenshot the app gives you.Make a Instagram code
- Snapchat37 modules, from 14.8 mmAny camera can read this, unlike a Snapcode, which only scans inside the Snapchat app.Make a Snapchat code
- Pinterest37 modules, from 14.8 mmPincodes are gone, so this is the way to a board from print. Profile, board and pin links measured.Make a Pinterest code
Profiles and feeds
Where claiming a username or picking the right domain shrinks the printed code the most.
Music
Spotify Codes only scan inside Spotify, which is the whole reason this page exists.
Facebook QR code questions
How do I make a QR code for my Facebook page?
Copy your page address from a browser, paste it into the generator on this page, and download the SVG. Claim a username in Page settings first if you have not: it shortens the address considerably, which makes the code less dense and readable at a smaller printed size.
Where is the QR code in the Facebook app?
Under the menu on the mobile app, though its exact location moves between versions, which is why it is hard to find. It is app-only and gives you an image rather than a vector file, so it suits sharing on a phone rather than printing.
Can I make a QR code for a Facebook group or event?
Yes. Both are ordinary addresses, so copy the link and encode it like any other. Event links carry a long numeric identifier with no short form, so an event code is denser and needs a slightly larger print size.
Why is my Facebook QR code so dense?
Almost certainly because you encoded the numeric profile address rather than a claimed username. Fifteen digits of identifier is a lot of characters, and characters become modules. Claim the username and regenerate.
QRMakery builds this code on your own device. The link you paste and the file you download never reach a server.
More for social profiles
Twelve platforms, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that kills its codes.
- Social media QR codesPick a platform: twelve pages, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that breaks it.
- LinkedIn QR codeTurn a LinkedIn profile into a code any camera reads, with the print size measured for badges and CVs.
- Instagram QR codeA profile, reel or post as a printable vector code, rather than the screenshot the app gives you.
Guides worth reading
All guides- Printing
QR Code Sticker Size: The Circle Costs You 30%
The usable square inside a round sticker is 70% of its diameter. Measured minimum sizes for real links, against every common sticker size.
8 min read - Reference
Offline QR Code Generators for Every Device
What each platform already ships, the measured cost of each payload type, and how to check an offline claim yourself.
26 min read
