You’re testing a restaurant ordering app. Each table needs a QR code that encodes a URL with the table number as a query parameter. You need 30 of them — https://orders.example.com/menu?table=1 through table=30. Each code needs to be high resolution for print, use the restaurant’s brand colors (dark green foreground on cream background), and include the restaurant logo in the center.
You open a free QR generator website. You paste the first URL. It generates a black-and-white code. You download it. You open Photoshop to change the colors. You realize the downloaded PNG is 200x200 pixels — too small for print. You go back, find the “HD” option is behind a paywall. You try a different generator. This one lets you change colors but not add a logo. You try a third. It adds a logo but exports with a watermark unless you pay.
You’ve generated one code. You have 29 left. Each requires manual URL entry, color selection, logo upload, and download. There’s no history, no batch workflow, and no way to maintain consistency across codes.
Test Nexus generates all 30 in a single session. You set the URL data type, enter the first URL, pick your brand colors once, upload the logo once, and generate. The colors, logo, and error correction level persist across generations. You change only the URL for each table, tap the generate button, and save. Thirty branded, high-resolution QR codes in the time it took the website to produce one.
This post covers the QR Generator’s three-step workflow, the 11 code formats and 16 data types it supports, and the design customization options that turn a generic QR code into a branded asset.
The Three-Step Workflow
The QR Generator is organized into three tabs: Content, Design, and Export. Each step handles one concern, and settings persist across generations so you only configure once.
Step 1: Content
The Content tab is where you define what the code encodes. At the bottom of the screen, a compact input bar shows your current format and data type — tap it to switch.
Code Formats: Test Nexus supports 11 barcode and QR code formats:
- QR Code — the standard 2D matrix code, supports all 16 data types
- Code 128 — high-density alphanumeric barcode used in logistics
- EAN-13 / EAN-8 — European Article Numbers for retail products
- UPC-A / UPC-E — Universal Product Codes for North American retail
- Code 39 — alphanumeric barcode used in automotive and defense
- Code 93 — compact alphanumeric barcode
- ITF — Interleaved 2 of 5, used for outer carton labeling
- Codabar — used in libraries, blood banks, and FedEx airbills
- Data Matrix — compact 2D code used in electronics manufacturing
For QR codes, you also select a data type that determines the encoding format:
| Data Type | What It Encodes | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Free-form text up to 2,000 characters | General purpose |
| URL | Web address | Website links, deep links |
| Phone | Phone number in tel: format | Tap-to-call |
| Email address in mailto: format | Tap-to-email | |
| SMS | Phone number + pre-filled message | Support shortcuts |
| Wi-Fi | SSID, password, and security type | Guest network onboarding |
| Contact | vCard with name, phone, and email | Business cards |
| Phone number for wa.me link | WhatsApp direct message | |
| Username for instagram.com link | Social profile | |
| Profile or page URL | Social profile | |
| X / Twitter | Username for x.com link | Social profile |
| Profile URL | Professional networking | |
| YouTube | Video or channel URL | Content sharing |
| Spotify | Track or playlist URI | Music sharing |
| Location | Latitude and longitude coordinates | Map pin |
| Event | Title, start/end date, and location | Calendar event |
Each data type presents purpose-built input fields. Wi-Fi shows SSID, password, and a security type selector (WPA/WEP/Open). Contact shows name, phone, and email fields. SMS shows a number field and a message field. You don’t need to know the encoding format — Test Nexus handles the WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:MyPassword;; syntax, the BEGIN:VCARD structure, and the smsto: URI scheme.
Step 2: Design
The Design tab controls the visual appearance of the generated code.
Foreground colors — eight curated dark tones: Charcoal, Violet, Midnight, Wine, Forest, Ocean, Espresso, and Black. These are chosen to maintain sufficient contrast with light backgrounds for reliable scanning.
Background colors — eight light tones: White, Ghost, Cream, Lavender, Sky, Mint, Slate, and Blush. Light backgrounds ensure the code remains scannable even with colored foregrounds.
Background image — upload any image from your gallery. The QR code pattern darkens pixels over the image, creating a textured effect while keeping the code scannable. This works because QR codes have built-in error correction that compensates for the visual noise.
Logo — two options:
- Auto brand icon — when you select a social media data type (WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), Test Nexus automatically places the platform’s icon in the center of the QR code. No manual upload needed.
- Custom image — upload any logo from your gallery. The logo is composited into the center of the QR code at a size that doesn’t compromise scannability.
Error correction — four levels that control how much of the QR code can be damaged (or obscured by a logo) while still scanning correctly:
| Level | Recovery | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Low (L) | 7% | Clean digital display, no logo |
| Medium (M) | 15% | Default — balances size and resilience |
| Quartile (Q) | 25% | Logos or background images |
| High (H) | 30% | Aggressive branding, print on textured materials |
If you’re adding a logo or background image, bump the error correction to Q or H. The code becomes slightly denser (more modules) but can tolerate the center being partially covered.
Step 3: Export
The Export tab controls the output format:
Sizes: Small (800px), Medium (1600px), or Large (2400px). Small works for screens. Medium works for standard print. Large works for banners and signage.
Formats: PNG (lossless, transparent-friendly), JPEG (smaller file size), or WebP (modern compression).
From any tab, the generated QR code appears as a live preview at the top of the screen. Three action buttons sit below it: Save (to device gallery via MediaStore), Share (via Android share sheet), and Copy to Clipboard (for pasting into design tools).
Session Pass: Ad-Supported Access
The QR Generator uses a Session Pass model. You can generate codes freely, but interstitial ads appear at natural points during use. To remove ads for your current session, tap the Session Pass chip in the top bar and watch a short rewarded video. The pass lasts until you close the app — no subscriptions, no tokens, no recurring charges.
Real-World Testing Scenarios
Deep Link Testing
You’re testing a food delivery app. Each restaurant has a deep link: foodapp://restaurant/12345. You need QR codes for 10 restaurants to test the deep link handler. Select the URL data type, enter each deep link, generate, and save. The QR codes open the correct restaurant page when scanned, letting you verify the deep link routing without typing URIs into a browser.
Wi-Fi Provisioning for Test Devices
Your test lab has a dedicated Wi-Fi network. New team members need to connect their test devices. Instead of dictating a 20-character WPA2 password, generate a Wi-Fi QR code: select the Wi-Fi data type, enter the SSID and password, choose WPA security, and print the code. Team members scan it and connect instantly. The password never leaves the QR code — no Slack messages with credentials.
Event Check-In Testing
You’re building an event management app with QR-based check-in. Each attendee gets a QR code encoding their ticket ID. Generate test codes with the Text data type, each encoding a different ticket ID. Print them, scan them with the check-in scanner, and verify the lookup flow end-to-end.
Business Card Prototyping
You’re redesigning your company’s business cards and want to include a QR code that encodes the contact’s vCard. Select the Contact data type, enter the name, phone, and email. Pick the company’s brand colors for the foreground and background. Upload the company logo. Export at 2400px for print resolution. The designer drops the exported PNG directly into the card layout.
What Makes This Different
Most QR generators are web tools built for one-off use. They don’t remember your last settings, don’t support structured data types, and charge for features like custom colors, logos, or high-resolution export.
Test Nexus generates codes on-device using ZXing — no server round-trip, no upload of your data to a third-party service, no watermarks. Your Wi-Fi passwords, contact details, and deep link URLs never leave your phone. Design settings persist across generations. History lets you reload previous codes. And the 16 structured data types mean you never need to manually construct a WIFI:T:WPA;S:... string or format a vCard by hand.
For QA engineers and developers, this means testing barcode and QR code flows is as fast as typing the payload and tapping generate. No context switching to a browser, no pasting URLs into third-party tools, no paying for features that should be free.