SVG vs PNG vs PDF: Which QR Code File Should You Use?

KeptLink lets you download every QR code as a PNG, an SVG or a PDF. They all contain the same code, and they’ll all scan. The difference is how they behave when you resize them and which tools accept them. Picking the right one is the easiest way to avoid a blurry code on your flyer.

The short answer

What you’re making	Best file
Website, social post, email or slide	PNG (1024 px)
Word or Google Docs file you’ll print at home	PNG (1024 or 2048 px)
Canva or another design tool	SVG if the tool accepts it, otherwise PNG (2048 px)
Files for a print shop or designer	SVG or PDF
Printing the code by itself at an exact size	PDF (1, 2 or 3 in)
Large signs, banners or posters	SVG or PDF

Not sure? Download more than one. They’re free, there’s no signup and no watermark.

PNG: the everyday choice

A PNG is an image made of pixels, like a photo. Almost every app can open one, which makes it the safest file for screens and documents.

The catch is resolution. A PNG has a fixed number of pixels, and when you stretch it bigger than that, edges get soft and blurry. Blurry edges are hard for phone cameras to read.

KeptLink offers PNG downloads at 512, 1024 and 2048 pixels, or a custom size.

• 512 px is fine for small on-screen uses, like an email signature.
• 1024 px covers most websites, slides and documents.
• 2048 px is the one to use if a PNG will be printed, especially at 2 inches or wider.

Print shops often work at around 300 pixels per inch. By that measure, a 2048 pixel PNG prints sharply up to about 6.8 inches wide. For anything bigger, use SVG or PDF.

SVG: sharp at any size

An SVG is a vector file. Instead of storing pixels, it stores the shapes themselves, so it can be scaled to the size of a business card or a billboard and the edges stay perfectly crisp.

Use SVG when:

• you’re handing the file to a designer or print shop
• you’re working in a design tool that accepts SVG, such as Adobe Illustrator
• the code will be printed large

Many design tools accept SVG files, but not all of them do. If yours won’t import it, use a 2048 pixel PNG instead.

One note if your code has a logo: every logo is converted to a PNG image inside the code, even in SVG and PDF downloads. The code itself stays vector, but the logo is only as sharp as the file you uploaded. Start with a clear, reasonably large logo. See our guide to adding a logo to a QR code for more.

PDF: ready to print at an exact size

KeptLink’s PDF downloads are vector too, and they come at exactly 1, 2 or 3 inches wide. That makes them handy when you want to print the code on its own, or when you want to hand a print shop a file that’s already the right size.

To keep the size exact when printing a PDF yourself, choose Actual size or 100% in the print dialog, not “Fit to page”. Fit to page can quietly enlarge or shrink the code.

Not sure which size you need? Our QR code size guide explains the 10-to-1 rule: the code should be about one tenth as wide as the distance people will scan from.

app.keptlink.com

Using your code in Canva, Word and Google Docs

Most people place their QR code into a design or document rather than printing it on its own. A few habits keep it scannable:

• Resize from a corner, keeping the proportions. A code that’s been squashed or stretched in one direction can fail to scan.
• Keep the white border. Every download includes the quiet zone, the empty margin phones use to find the code. Don’t crop into it, and don’t let text or photos overlap it.
• Don’t place it on a busy background without its white border around it.
• Use a big enough PNG. In Word or Google Docs, a 1024 or 2048 pixel PNG gives you room to resize without blur.

When your document is done, print one page and scan the code with your phone before you print the rest.

Sending your code to a print shop

For business cards, flyers, menus and signs, a print shop will get the best result from a vector file.

1. Send the SVG or PDF, not a screenshot or a small PNG.
2. Tell them the exact width you want the code printed at.
3. Ask them not to recolor, crop or add effects to the code.
4. Ask for a proof, and scan it with a couple of phones before approving the order.

The live scan check in our generator shows “Scans reliably in our check” when it can read the code on your screen. That’s a good first sign, but the printed proof is the real test. Colors can print differently from how they look on screen, so if you’ve used brand colors, our guide to QR code colors that work is worth a quick read too.