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Choose foreground and background colours for a code that belongs in a brand kit, menu, brochure, label, or product insert. The generator keeps a simple square module pattern, so you can customise the colour treatment without relying on decorative shapes that might interfere with scanning.
Colour choice is not only aesthetic. Keep a strong difference between the foreground and background, avoid transparent backgrounds over busy photographs, and preserve the quiet margin around the code. Test the downloaded image at its final printed size under realistic lighting.
How to use this tool
- Enter the data to encode.
- Choose high-contrast foreground and background colours.
- Generate, download, and test the image at the size it will be used.
Practical guidance
Brand colours can make a code fit a visual identity, but functional contrast should come before decoration. Keep the foreground clearly darker than the background, avoid using two similar saturated colours, and leave the quiet zone untouched. Do not add gradients, logos, or other overlays unless you have a separate design workflow that validates the finished symbol.
Checks before you use the output
Scan the exported PNG or JPEG on more than one phone, then print a proof on the material that will be used in production. Monitors can make colours appear more vivid than ink on paper. If a scanner struggles, return to a simple dark foreground and light background before changing the code’s error-correction setting.
Questions and answers
Can I use a light foreground on a dark background?
Some scanners may struggle with inverted codes. A dark foreground on a light background is the safer default.
Will any brand colour work?
Not necessarily. Check contrast and test the output with more than one scanning app before production.
Can I use a light foreground on a dark background?
Some designs can scan, but compatibility varies. A dark foreground on a light background is the safer default, and any reversed design should be tested at the final print size.