How to Troubleshoot Printed QR Codes Not Scanning

Find which stage fails

If no payload is detected, inspect the complete square and its blank margin. If a link decodes but the page fails, check the link, permissions and network instead of changing the printed pattern.

Compare the original export with a screenshot of the placed design. Upload a PNG, JPEG or other supported raster image to the scanner; render an SVG to a raster image first. A successful digital decode does not establish print quality.

Change one print variable at a time

Preserve a quiet zone four modules wide on every side. A module is one cell of the symbol. Use dark modules on a plain light background; move logos, labels and decorative borders outside the blank margin.

Print a larger proof, remove a logo, shorten an unnecessarily long URL or change a glossy finish, testing one change at a time. Payload, encoding and correction level affect module count. There is no universal phone-camera module-size floor or one-second scan guarantee.

Example investigation:
Original PNG decodes; laminated card does not.
Print the same artwork on matte paper at the same size.
Compare in the intended lighting before changing the URL or ordering a batch.

Verify the finished placement

Rebuild the artwork with QR Code Generator if needed. Test a proof at its final size and position on several representative phones and from the intended distances. Check the decoded payload and the destination separately.

Record artwork version, physical dimensions, material, lighting and the tested devices. Error correction can restore some codeword damage; it does not make an obscured finder pattern or arbitrary damaged area safe. Approve a print batch only after its actual proof works.

References

Use the linked specifications and product documentation to check behavior in your own environment.