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 readReddit QR code generator
A Reddit post URL carries the post title in it, which is there for search engines and useless inside a QR code. Strip it and the same link points at the same thing with far fewer modules. Subreddit links are short to begin with.
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
Reddit does not give you a code
- Reddit has no QR code feature. There is no in-app code for a subreddit, a profile or a post, so generating one from the link is the only route.
- That makes this straightforward compared with the platforms that ship their own code and then limit it to their own app.
Which Reddit 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 Reddit actually hands out, each one encoded and decoded when this page was built.
| Link form | Characters | Version | Modules | Print at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A subreddithttps://reddit.com/r/examplecommunityShort and stable. The form to print for a community. | 37 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| A user profilehttps://reddit.com/u/examplehandleSame shape as a subreddit, one character shorter. | 34 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| A post, trimmedhttps://reddit.com/r/examplecommunity/comments/1a2b3c4The post id alone is enough. Reddit resolves this to the full post. | 54 | 4 | 41 | 16.4 mm |
| A post, as copiedhttps://www.reddit.com/r/examplecommunity/comments/1a2b3c4/how_i_finally_fixed_the_print_quality_problem/What the address bar gives you. The title slug is for search engines and costs you modules. | 105 | 6 | 49 | 19.6 mm |
The title slug is the entire story here. Deleting it changes nothing about where the link goes, and on a long post title it can be more characters than the rest of the address put together.
Subreddit links are short enough that a community code prints comfortably on a sticker, which is the most common thing anyone actually wants from this.
Where a Reddit code actually goes
- Community stickers and flyers
- A subreddit code on a noticeboard or a laptop sticker. Short link, sparse code, and it keeps working as long as the community does.
- Conference and meetup signage
- Pointing at the subreddit where the conversation continues after the event. Print the subreddit name in text as well, because plenty of people will just type it.
- Print citations of a specific thread
- Where a trimmed post link earns its place: the same destination as the full URL with a fraction of the density.
Three ways these go wrong
- Encoding the URL straight from the address bar
- The title slug can be sixty characters of text that Reddit ignores when resolving the link. Cut everything after the post id and the code gets dramatically sparser.
- Printing an old.reddit link
- It works for now and it is longer, and it points at an interface Reddit has spent years deprecating. Print the plain reddit.com form.
- Pointing at a post that will be locked or removed
- Threads get locked, deleted and removed by moderators, and the printed code carries on pointing at them. A subreddit link is the safer thing to commit to paper.
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
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.
- LinkedIn37 modules, from 14.8 mmTurn a LinkedIn profile into a code any camera reads, with the print size measured for badges and CVs.Make a LinkedIn code
- Facebook37 modules, from 14.8 mmEncode a page, profile or group, and see how much smaller a claimed username prints.Make a Facebook code
- X37 modules, from 14.8 mmx.com against twitter.com, measured, including the redirect a printed old link now costs.Make a X code
Music
Spotify Codes only scan inside Spotify, which is the whole reason this page exists.
Reddit QR code questions
How do I make a QR code for a subreddit?
Paste reddit.com/r/yoursubreddit into the generator on this page. Subreddit links are short, so the code is sparse and prints well on a sticker or a flyer at small sizes.
Can I shorten a Reddit post link before encoding it?
Yes, and you should. Everything after the post id, which is the long lowercase version of the title, is there for search engines. Reddit resolves the link without it, and cutting it makes a noticeably sparser code.
Does Reddit have its own QR code?
No. There is no in-app code for a subreddit, a profile or a post, so generating one from the link is the normal route rather than a workaround.
Should I point at a post or the subreddit?
The subreddit, for anything printed. Posts get locked, deleted or removed by moderators, and a printed code cannot be updated. A community outlives any one thread in it.
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
