How ink pricing works

You'll always see the exact price before you generate. No surprises. Most jobs cost 1 ink.

What affects price

Image size

Larger images use more pixels. We keep a stable target of ~16 px per QR module to preserve subtle stylization without breaking the QR structure.

Content length

More characters means a higher QR version (more modules per side). At a fixed px/module target, area grows roughly with the square of version, so cost climbs fast.

Real examples

All examples use aspect 2-3 at our recommended readability target.

v7
Short URL
45 × 45
928 × 1392 px
1 ink
HTTPS://QR.COM — compact, efficient encoding
v10
Reference
57 × 57
1152 × 1728 px
1 ink
Standard URL like HTTPS://EXAMPLE.COM/PAGE
v14
Long content
73 × 73
1472 × 2208 px
2 ink
https://example.com/long/path?param=value

How to lower cost

Shorter, simpler URLs reduce the QR version and keep costs down. Here are practical ways to optimize:

Before
https://example.com/products/summer-collection?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=july
↓
After
HTTPS://EXAMPLE.COM/S/JUL
Saved 5 QR versions → lower ink cost
Quick optimization tips
  • Uppercase scheme and domain: HTTPS://EXAMPLE.COM (enables denser encoding)
  • Remove tracking parameters (UTM codes, session IDs)
  • Use short paths and aliases: /s/abc instead of /products/category/item
  • Consider URL shorteners for very long links

Fairness and guarantees

✓
Price shown upfront
You see the exact ink cost before Generate. The server validates it before charging.
✓
No double billing
Submitting the same setup returns the original result without charging again (idempotent).
✓
Validation
If the client and server prices don't match, the request is rejected — no charge.
✓
We'll make it right
If a result doesn't scan, reach out and we'll fix it.

When long content is risky

High versions shrink headroom. As version rises (v13+), subtle stylization has less room before structure breaks or collapses to a plain QR.
Cost rises quickly. With a fixed px/module target, image area scales roughly with modules², so ink cost can jump fast.
What to do: shorten URLs (uppercase domain, drop params, alias paths, or use a shortener). If you can’t shorten, consider a non-stylized blueprint output.

FAQ

Does visual style affect price?

In the current model, no. Price is area-based and normalized to a v10 reference. Typical generations at v10 and below cost 1 ink. Extremely long content that pushes version higher increases area and cost. If we ever ship styles that require larger base sheets, pricing would still reflect area—not aesthetics.

Does aspect ratio change the price?

Pricing is normalized to a reference aspect (2-3) so costs stay predictable across different formats.

Why round up?

It keeps pricing simple. You never see fractional ink, and small differences behave consistently.

Can I override the recommended size?

We don’t recommend it. We keep px/module in a safe range (~14–20, target ~16) to maintain stylization stability. Smaller risks failure; larger adds cost without benefit in most cases.

Higher QR versions can reduce readability at the same physical size. Learn how to size for reliable scans.
Go to “Will it scan?”