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GlossarySharing and scanning

What Is a Static QR Code?

A static QR code encodes its destination or data directly in the pattern, so the code can never be edited and no service is needed for it to work. Whatever was encoded on the day it was generated is what every scan returns, for as long as the code remains legible.

Fixed by Design

The data is written straight into the grid of squares. Nothing sits between the phone and that data, so the code needs no account, no server and no subscription, and it will keep working for as long as the print is legible. The flip side is permanence in both directions: it cannot be corrected, and nobody can tell how often it was scanned.

Where a Static Code Is the Right Tool

Anything that is never going to change: a Wi-Fi network name and password you control, a plain line of text, a product serial number, a fixed address. In these cases the independence from any service is the feature. Nothing can lapse, and nobody can switch it off.

Where It Lets You Down

A business card is the classic mistake. A static code holding a web address ties you to that exact address forever. A static code holding contact details freezes your number and role at the moment of printing. Either way a change means new codes and a new print run, and the cards already given out stay wrong with no way to correct them. Free generators often quietly produce static codes, which is why they feel free.

Frequently asked questions

Do static QR codes expire?

No. There is no service involved, so nothing can lapse. The code works for as long as it can be read and whatever it points to still exists.

Can static QR codes track scans?

No. A scan goes straight from the phone to the data, with nothing in between to count it.

Should my business card use a static or dynamic code?

Dynamic, in almost every case. Details on a card change over time, and a dynamic code lets the printed card follow them.

Keep reading

Related terms

Dynamic QR CodeA dynamic QR code encodes a short, fixed redirect link rather than the destination itself, so the destination can be changed at any time without altering or reprinting the code. Because the printed pattern never changes, a dynamic code can be edited after printing and can count its scans.QR CodeA QR code (Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional barcode, a square grid of dark and light modules, that stores text such as a web address and can be read by a phone camera. Unlike a traditional barcode it holds data in both directions and still scans when partly damaged or obscured.vCard QR CodeA vCard QR code is a QR code that carries contact details in the vCard format, so scanning it offers to save a contact straight into the phone. Some encode the whole vCard inside the pattern; others encode a link to a page that offers the vCard file.QR Code Business CardA QR code business card is a business card whose contact details are reached by scanning a printed QR code. The code can either encode the details directly, which fixes them permanently, or point at a contact page, which keeps them editable after printing.

Put this into practice with your own card

Put your details on one card page, share it by link or QR code, and change them whenever they change. The printed code keeps working. No credit card required to start.

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