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How do I make printable QR code stickers?

Shorten the link in URL Short, then open Print Optimizer and pick Sticker: it gives you the minimum printed size, the right export resolution and a contrast check for that exact link. Export the code with Save to Photos or Export PDF and print it on sticker paper or send it to a sticker printer.

4 min read · Updated 2026-09-17

Download on the App Store

What you get

A QR code that actually scans once it is stuck on a box, a door or a product, not just one that looked fine on screen before printing (that gap is how a batch of stickers can come back unusable). URL Short's Print Optimizer has a Sticker use case built in: pick it and the app works out the minimum size and resolution from your own short link's length, then checks whether your colors are dark enough to scan.

Why stickers need their own size rules

A sticker is usually read up close, by hand, sometimes on a curved or slightly glossy surface. That calls for a smaller module size than a poster but a higher resolution than a billboard: Print Optimizer uses 0.7 mm per module and 300 DPI for Sticker, against 3.0 mm and 150 DPI for Poster.

Worked example: sizing a QR code sticker for a short link

Take a typical short link from this app, 20 characters long, such as the ones is.gd or v.gd hand back. Print Optimizer estimates that needs a 21 by 21 module code, then multiplies by the sticker's own module size and resolution.

Print Optimizer, Sticker use case, 20-character short link
ValueResult
Estimated modules21 x 21
Minimum printed size14.7 mm (0.58")
Recommended resolution173 px at 300 DPI

How to make the sticker in the app

  1. Shorten your link on the Shorten tab, so the QR Code appears under the result.
  2. Open More and tap Print Optimizer.
  3. Under Intended Use, pick Sticker.
  4. Read Minimum Size, Recommended Resolution, DPI and Contrast Ratio, and fix anything listed under Warnings.
  5. Open Customize Colors if you need to raise the contrast: keep the Foreground Color dark and the Background Color light.
  6. Tap Save to Photos for a PNG at the size you set, or Export PDF (Premium) for a single print-ready page.
  7. Before printing a sheet of them, tap Test Scan on one to confirm the exported size still opens the right link.

For a dense sheet of stickers made from several different links, Batch Mode (Premium) exports a whole list as one PDF print pack or a ZIP of separate images, instead of saving each one by hand.

Raise Error Correction for a sticker that will get scratched

Of every print type in this app, a sticker is the one most likely to end up folded at a corner or half-covered by a price tag. In Customize Colors, the Error Correction picker lets you raise it from Medium (15%) to Quartile (25%) or High (30%) before you export. The app's own note on that screen: higher correction means more damage tolerance, at the cost of a denser code.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving no blank margin (quiet zone) around the printed code. A scanner needs plain space on every side to find where the code starts, so size the sticker for the code plus that border, not the code alone.
  • Using a long tracking link. A 100-character link needs 33 x 33 modules, more than half again as dense as the 20-character example above, on the same small sticker.
  • Printing a light foreground on a dark sticker background with no contrast check first.
  • Skipping Test Scan on the exported file. A code that scans on screen can still fail at the sticker's actual printed size.

Questions and answers

What size should a QR code sticker be?
For a 20-character short link, URL Short's Print Optimizer sets 14.7 mm (0.58") as the minimum code size for a sticker, and recommends exporting at 173 px at 300 DPI. Leave a blank margin (quiet zone) around the printed code on top of that, so a scanner can tell where the code starts, before you pick the sticker's actual size.
Can I print QR code stickers at home?
Yes. Export the code with Save to Photos at the recommended pixel size, or with Export PDF (Premium) for a single print-ready page, then print it on sticker paper in a home printer. The app does not print directly; it only prepares the image or PDF.
How do I make custom QR code stickers for different links?
Shorten each link and size its own code in Print Optimizer, since longer links need bigger codes. For several at once, Batch Mode (Premium) exports a whole list as one PDF sheet or a ZIP of images.
Why does my QR code sticker fail to scan after printing?
The two most common reasons are a missing quiet zone (no blank margin around the code) and low contrast between the code and the sticker's background. Print Optimizer flags low contrast before you export; the quiet zone you have to leave yourself when you choose the sticker size.

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