3D Printed QR Code Generator
Turn a link into a QR code you can 3D print. Set the plate size and heights, check the module size before you slice, and download an STL that is ready for a two-colour print.
Shorter content means bigger modules, and bigger modules print cleaner.
Outer edge of the square, border included.
The light-coloured plate.
How far the dark modules stand up.
Light margin around the code.
- Code
- 25 × 25 modules
- Module size
- 1.72 mm
- Total height
- 3.0 mm
- Change colour at
- Z = 2.00 mm
One STL: print it with a filament change at the height above. Two files (base and code, in a ZIP): assign each its own filament in your slicer. Free, no account.
How to print it
How to 3D Print a QR Code That Scans
The model is a flat base with the dark modules raised on top. A camera reads the colour difference, not the height, so the whole job is getting a dark code onto a light base.
1. Make it in this tool
Type the link, set the plate size, and check the module size. Around 1 mm or more per module is a comfortable target for a 0.4 mm nozzle.
2. Slice it flat
Import the STL with the code facing up. No supports are needed: every part sits directly on the base. A 0.2 mm layer height is fine.
3. Change colour at the base
Add a colour change at the height the tool shows, which is the top of the base. Light filament below, dark above. On a multi-material printer, use the two-file ZIP instead.
4. Test before you mount it
Scan it with two different phones in the light it will live in. If it struggles, add border, raise contrast, or make the plate bigger.
Scan reliability
What Makes a Printed Code Scan
Contrast beats everything
Dark code on a light base, as close to black on white as your filament allows. Similar shades, like grey on silver, are the most common reason a print will not scan.
Matte over glossy
Shiny and silk filaments throw glare straight back at the camera. A matte dark filament for the code is the safest choice.
Keep the border
Phones look for a light margin around the code. Two modules of border is the tool's default. If you set it lower, mount the print on a light surface.
Shorter content, bigger modules
Every extra character adds modules. A short link prints far more cleanly than a long URL with tracking parameters at the same plate size.
The same rules apply to any printed code. The QR code size guide covers scanning distance, and why a QR code is not working covers the usual fixes.
Before you print
A Printed Code Points to One Place, Forever
Whatever you encode is built into the plastic. If the page moves, the print points at a dead link. For anything you will mount on a wall, a machine or a product, encode a link you control instead.
A dynamic QR code gives you a short link whose destination you can change at any time, and it counts scans. Create one, paste its short link into the tool above, and print that. A free account includes one dynamic code with 100 scans a month across the account.