Both download buttons hand you the same QR code. What differs is how the file stores it — and that decides whether the code still looks clean when someone blows it up to fill an A3 poster.
The difference in one line
A PNG is a grid of coloured dots. An SVG is a set of drawing instructions. Enlarge a grid of dots and you get bigger dots. Enlarge a set of instructions and it simply redraws itself at the new size.
| PNG | SVG | |
|---|---|---|
| What it stores | Pixels | Geometry |
| Enlarging it | Goes blocky past its native size | Stays sharp at any size |
| File size | Larger | Usually smaller |
| Opens in | Almost anything, including Word and LINE | Browsers, design tools, print software |
| Editable later | Not really | Yes — colours and shapes stay separate |
How large can a PNG print?
Print quality is measured in DPI, dots per inch. Commercial printing assumes 300 DPI, so a PNG can print about as wide as its pixel count divided by 300 inches before the edges start to soften.
Our generator offers three download sizes, which works out like this:
| Download size | Prints sharp up to | Typical jobs |
|---|---|---|
| 512 × 512 px | about 4 cm | business cards, receipt footers, name badges |
| 1024 × 1024 px | about 8.5 cm | flyers, table tents, A5 leaflets, product labels |
| 2048 × 2048 px | about 17 cm | posters, A3 sheets, menu boards |
Those figures assume the code will be held at reading distance. Signage read from two metres away survives at 150 DPI, which roughly doubles every number in the table. For anything bigger than a poster, stop doing the arithmetic and use the SVG.
If you are working out how physically large the printed code needs to be in the first place, that is a separate question with a simple rule of thumb — see our guide to QR code print sizes.
When PNG is the right choice
- Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint and Canva templates
- Social posts, LINE messages, email signatures
- Your own website, where a small file loads faster
- Anywhere the recipient may not know what to do with an SVG
PNG is the safe default precisely because nothing refuses to open it.
When SVG is the right choice
- Anything going to a print shop
- Large format: roll-up banners, shop-front signs, vehicle graphics, A2 and up
- Files you will keep editing in Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma or Canva
- Vinyl cutting, laser engraving and other jobs that need real outlines
An SVG also stays editable. Because the dark modules are stored as separate shapes, a designer can recolour them without the muddy edges you get from recolouring a PNG.
What print shops actually want
If a shop asks for a vector file, SVG is one. Most accept it directly. If they insist on AI, EPS or a print-ready PDF, open the SVG in Illustrator or the free Inkscape and export to the format they named — nothing about the code changes in the process.
Two things worth saying in the order either way: keep the code black on white unless you have checked the contrast, and do not let them shrink it to fill a gap in the layout.
Both files scan identically
The PNG and the SVG are generated from the same matrix, with the same error correction level and the same quiet zone. There is no scanning advantage to either. The only way to make one of them fail is to print it too small, crop its white margin, or stretch it out of square.
Still not sure?
Download both. They are free, they take a second, and you will have the right one whichever way the job goes. Then test the file you are actually going to send before it goes anywhere near a print run.
Create your code and both buttons are right there under the preview.