QR Code Format Guide: PNG, SVG, EPS, PDF, JPG, vCard, WiFi & More
By IMQRScan Team · Updated July 18, 2026 · 14 min read
Ask someone what "format" means for a QR code and you will get two completely different answers, both correct. One person means the file type, PNG, SVG, PDF. Another means what the code actually contains, a website link, a contact card, a WiFi password. Both are real, and confusing the two is the source of most of the questions people have when generating a QR code for the first time.
Quick Answer
"QR code format" refers to two different things: the file format you download (PNG, SVG, EPS, PDF, JPG) and the data format encoded inside the code (URL, vCard, WiFi, SMS, email, phone number, text, calendar event). For most everyday use, download as PNG for screens or SVG for print, and pick the data format that matches what you want the scanner to do.
Table of Contents
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Choose your data type and download in the file format that fits your use case.
QR Code GeneratorThis guide separates the two clearly, explains each option in both categories, and points to the right tool for whichever one you actually need.
What Is a QR Code Format?
A QR code format describes either how the code is saved as a file, or what kind of information is stored inside the pattern. These are separate decisions made at different points in the generation process, but the word "format" gets used loosely for both, which is where most confusion starts.
Key Takeaway
Picking the wrong file format usually shows up later as a quality problem, a blurry print, an oversized email attachment. Picking the wrong data format shows up immediately, the scan does something other than what you intended, or it fails to open at all.
Best QR Code Format at a Glance
| Goal | Recommended format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Website or email | PNG | Easy to upload and widely supported |
| Social media graphic | PNG | Works well in standard image tools |
| Business card | SVG or high-resolution PNG | Both can work at a small print size |
| Poster or banner | SVG | Remains sharp when resized |
| Packaging layout | SVG, EPS, or print-ready PDF | Fits professional design workflows |
| Save a contact | vCard | Opens contact details on compatible phones |
| Join a network | WiFi | Provides network details to compatible scanners |
| Start an SMS | SMS URI | Opens a message with a recipient |
| Start an email | mailto: | Opens an email app |
| Start a call | tel: | Opens a phone dialler |
| Add an event | iCalendar | Provides structured calendar details |
Two Types of QR Code Formats
QR Code File Formats
This is the type of image or document the QR code is saved as once generated, PNG, SVG, EPS, PDF, or JPG. It affects how the code looks, how well it scales for print, and which software can open or edit it. The underlying QR code pattern is identical across all file formats; only the container changes.
QR Code Data Formats
This is the type of content the QR code holds, a web address, a contact card, a WiFi network, a phone number, an SMS message, an email, plain text, or a calendar event. The data format determines what happens on the scanning device: does a website open, does a contact get added, does the phone connect to WiFi automatically?
QR Code File Formats Explained
Five file formats cover almost every use case. Each behaves differently once you start resizing or editing the file.
PNG QR Code Format
PNG is a raster image format built from a fixed grid of pixels, similar to a screenshot or standard web graphic. It is the most universally compatible format, works in every browser, email client, and document tool, and is the right default for screens, business cards, and standard print sizes. PNG does not scale well past its original resolution; stretch it too far and it looks soft. Full details on the QR Code PNG Generator page.
SVG QR Code Format
SVG stores the QR pattern as vector shapes, so the vector pattern remains sharp when resized. This makes it useful for posters, packaging, signage, and print layouts. An embedded PNG or JPG logo is still limited by its original resolution.See the QR Code SVG Generator.
EPS QR Code Format
EPS, or Encapsulated PostScript, is commonly used in professional print and packaging workflows. It can preserve vector QR artwork and support resizing without pixelating the vector pattern. However, embedded raster logos or images remain limited by their original resolution.
PDF QR Code Format
PDF is a document container that can include either vector or raster QR code artwork. A properly prepared PDF can preserve vector quality, page dimensions, fonts, and layout settings, which makes it useful for printer delivery. Check how the PDF was created before assuming the QR code inside it can be enlarged without pixelation.
JPG QR Code Format
JPG is a raster format similar to PNG, but it uses compression that can introduce subtle artefacts around sharp edges, exactly the kind of edges a QR code pattern is made of. This makes JPG a weaker choice for QR codes specifically; the compression can occasionally interfere with how cleanly a scanner reads the pattern, especially at lower quality settings. PNG covers the same use cases with no compression risk, which is why most QR code generators, including IMQRScan, default to PNG over JPG.
Best QR Code Format by Use Case
Best QR Code Format for Printing
SVG is a strong choice for most print layouts because the vector QR pattern remains sharp when resized. EPS and PDF can also work well when they preserve vector artwork and meet the printer's production requirements. Confirm the preferred format with your printer before sending the final design. For most printing needs, SVG QR code is the simplest option since it is broadly supported and easy to generate without specialised software.
Best QR Code Format for Websites
PNG. It is universally supported across browsers, loads quickly, and displays correctly at the moderate sizes typical of web design. See the QR Code PNG Generator for a quick download.
Best QR Code Format for Business Cards
SVG for guaranteed sharpness on premium card stock, or PNG if the card is being printed through a standard office printer at a size where resolution is less likely to be an issue. Either format works for the smaller scale a business card uses. See QR Code SVG Generator or QR Code PNG Generator.
Best QR Code Format for Flyers and Posters
PNG is fine for a standard A4 or A5 flyer. For anything larger, A3 and above, or any poster viewed from a distance, SVG removes the risk of a soft or blurry result once the print size increases.
Best QR Code Format for Packaging
SVG or EPS, depending on what the packaging manufacturer's production pipeline expects. Packaging often gets resized across multiple product variants, so a vector file means one source works across every size without regenerating the image.
QR Code Data Formats Explained
The data format is what the QR code actually contains, and it determines the action that happens when someone scans it. Here is what each one does.
| Data Format | What Scanning It Does |
|---|---|
| URL | Opens a website link directly in the scanner's browser. The most common data format, used for landing pages, social profiles, menus, and any general web destination. See URL QR Code Generator. |
| vCard | Holds a full contact card, name, phone, email, company, and more. Scanning it offers to save the contact directly into the phone's address book, without the scanner typing anything. See vCard QR Code Generator. |
| WiFi | Connects a phone to a WiFi network automatically, with the network name and password encoded into the code. No manual typing required, the device joins the network as soon as the code is scanned and confirmed. See WiFi QR Code Generator. |
| SMS | Opens the phone's messaging app with a pre-filled recipient number and, optionally, a pre-written message. Useful for prompting a quick text-based response without the scanner needing to save a contact first. See SMS QR Code Generator. |
| Opens the phone's email app with the recipient address pre-filled, and optionally a subject line and message body already written. Useful for directing enquiries to a specific inbox. See Email QR Code Generator. | |
| Phone | Opens the phone's dialler with a number pre-filled, ready to call with one tap. Common on service vehicles, support materials, and any printed surface where a direct call is the desired action. See call QR Code Generator. |
| Text | Displays a block of plain text directly on the scanning device, no website, no app action, just text shown on screen. Useful for instructions, short messages, or information that does not need a link. See Text QR Code Generator. |
| Calendar | Holds event details, date, time, location, and title, and offers to add the event directly to the scanner's calendar app. Useful for event invitations, appointment reminders, and printed schedules. See Event QR Code Generator |
URL QR Code Format
The structure is simply a standard web address, exactly as it would be typed into a browser. Any link, a homepage, a specific page, a social media profile, an online form, works the same way.
Example: https://example.comvCard QR Code Format
vCard is an established standard for digital contact cards, used well beyond QR codes, the same format email programs use when you save a contact attachment. The QR code encodes the vCard data directly, so the scanning device recognises it as a contact to save rather than text to read.
Example:
- BEGIN:VCARD
- VERSION:3.0
- FN:Alex Smith
- TEL:+15551234567
- EMAIL:alex@example.com
- ORG:Example Company
- END:VCARD
WiFi QR Code Format
The WiFi data format encodes the network name (SSID), the password, and the encryption type (typically WPA or WPA2) into a structured string that phones recognise as network credentials rather than plain text. This is why scanning a WiFi QR code prompts a "join network" action instead of opening a browser.
Example: WIFI:T:WPA;S:GuestNetwork;P:ExamplePassword;;| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
T |
Security type (WPA, WPA2, WPA3, or WEP) |
S |
Network name (SSID) |
P |
WiFi password |
H |
Optional hidden network value (true or false) |
SMS QR Code Format
This format encodes a phone number and, optionally, message text using a structure phones recognise as a messaging action. The result is the messaging app opening with the conversation and message pre-filled, rather than a generic phone number being read out.
Example: sms:+15551234567?body=HelloEmail QR Code Format
Similar to the SMS format, but structured for email, recipient address, subject line, and body text are encoded so the scanning device's email app opens with those fields already completed.
Example: mailto:hello@example.com?subject=Product%20QuestionPhone Number QR Code Format
The simplest of the data formats, a phone number structured so the scanning device recognises it as a number to dial rather than digits to read as text.
Example: tel:+15551234567Text QR Code Format
Plain text with no special structure. Scanning shows the text directly on screen. This is the most basic data format and the one with no app-triggering behaviour, it just displays what was typed in.
Calendar Event QR Code Format
Structured using a calendar data standard that most phone calendar apps recognise, encoding the event title, date, time, and location so the device can offer to add the event directly rather than requiring manual entry.
Example:
- BEGIN:VCALENDAR
- VERSION:2.0
- BEGIN:VEVENT
- SUMMARY:Product Launch
- DTSTART:20260820T100000Z
- DTEND:20260820T110000Z
- END:VEVENT
- END:VCALENDAR
PNG vs SVG vs EPS QR Code Format
These three come up together often enough to compare directly, since they represent the three most common choices for anything beyond casual screen use.
| Feature | PNG | SVG | EPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Raster (pixels) | Vector (shapes) | Vector (shapes) |
| Scales without quality loss | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Screens, standard print | Most print, packaging, signage | Professional/industrial print pipelines |
| Opens in | Any browser or image viewer | Browsers, most design tools | Primarily professional design software |
| Typical use | Web, email, business cards | Posters, stickers, labels, packaging | Large-scale packaging, legacy print workflows |
For most people, the decision comes down to PNG versus SVG. EPS only becomes relevant when a specific print partner or production pipeline asks for it by name.
Which QR Code Format Should You Download?
Two quick questions settle most cases.
-
Is this going on a screen or in print?
Screen → PNG. Print at a standard size (business card, A4 flyer) → either PNG or SVG works. Print at a large size (poster, banner, packaging) → SVG.
-
Does a specific printer or platform require a particular format?
Some packaging manufacturers and print shops specify EPS or PDF by name, check before generating if you are working with an external printer who has given you exact specifications.
If neither question applies and you are not sure, SVG is the safer default for anything physical, and PNG is the safer default for anything digital.
Create QR Codes in Multiple Formats with IMQRScan
IMQRScan generates the same QR code design and offers it for download in multiple file formats from a single tool, no separate software, no manual conversion. Start at the QR Code Generator, choose your data format (URL, vCard, WiFi, SMS, email, phone, text, or another type), customise the design, and download as PNG or SVG depending on where the code is going.
For codes connected to an editable web destination, a dynamic QR code lets you change the destination without replacing the printed QR code. It can also provide QR code scan tracking for supported campaigns.
Need a transparent background for a code sitting over a photo or branded design? See Transparent QR Code.
Create a QR Code in the Right Format
Choose your data type and download in the file format that fits your use case. Free, no account required for a basic code.
Open QR Code GeneratorSign up free for dynamic codes and scan tracking, or see pricing plans for business options.
QR Code Format FAQs
Answers about file formats, data formats, and choosing the right one.