Java QR Code Generator Tutorial

Generate, create 2d barcode QR Code images in Java Class, JSP Pages, Servlet, Jasper Report

Generate, Create, Print, Draw QR Code barcode in Java projects

Easy to Generate QR Code in Applet, Java class, Swing, JavaBean, J2SE applications
Create QR Code 2d barcode in JSP, Java Servlet, EJB, Tomcat, JBoss, J2EE server side applications
Print, draw QR Code barcode images in Eclipse BIRT, iReport, Jasper Reports Java reporting software
Generating & encoding industry standard QR Code Bar Code images in EPS, PNG, GIF, JPEG formats
Compatible with latest ISO / IEC 18004 (2nd edition 2006-09-01)
Completely written and created in Java. Support JDK 1.4.2 and later versions
Simple to redistribute Java QR Code barcode library SDK. No registration key or activation code required.
Reliable Java library component for QR Code generation

How to create, print QR Code in Java web, desktop application?

Download Java QR Code Barcode Generator library
Install Java QR Code barcode generation library into Java project
Start to Create

Java QR Code Generator Introduction

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Java Barcode is a Java barcode generator which generates high quality 1D (linear) and 2D (matrix) barcodes in Java, Jasper Reports, iReport, and Eclipse BIRT projects.

You can download the Java Barcode creator library SDK trial package to create QR Code barcodes in your Java projects. The download the package includes compiled Java barcode generation SDK (a single Jar file), detailed tutorial for creating barcodes in Java, and complete sample Java source code to generate QR Code in Java class. Using downloaded Java barcode generation SDK, you can also easily create and print
Data Matrix, PDF417, Code 39, Code 128, EAN, UPC, and other linear and 2d barcodes.

QR Code Introduction

QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The "QR" is derived from "Quick Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

Java QR-Code Generator - Valid Data Scope

Java QR Code Generator encodes:

numeric data (digits 0 - 9);
alphanumeric data (digits 0 - 9; upper case letters A -Z; nine other characters: space, $ % * + - . / : );
byte data (default: ISO/IEC 8859-1);
Kanji characters.

In this page, you will learn how to create, customize, print QR Code images in Java class, Java web application.

QR Code with URL encoded	QR Code with logo image printed

How to Generate QR Code in Java Class?

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Using Java Barcode Generator library API, you can quickly create and print QR Code images in Java application.

Create a com.onbarcode.barcode.QRCode object
Set the QR Code encoding text using method setData()
Call method drawBarcode() to draw QR Code to a png image file

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setData("https://www.onbarcode.com");
			
try {
	barcode.drawBarcode("c://Output//OnBarcode.com//java-qrcode-demo.png");
} catch (Exception e) {
	e.printStackTrace();
}

Print QR Code in memory

You can also print QR Code in memory object in Java application, and apply further processing on the generated QR Code object in Java codes.

drawBarcode(), return java.awt.image.BufferedImage object containing QR Code image data
drawBarcode(java.awt.Graphics2D g, java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D rectangle) allows you to encode draw QR Code on a Java Graphics2D object inside a rectangle
drawBarcode(java.io.OutputStream outputStream) print QR Code on a Java Stream object
drawBarcodeToBytes() create and draw QR Code image to an byte array object

QR Code Data Encoding using Java Barcode library

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QR Code is one of the 2D barcode, which supports various text formats encoding. Using Java Barcode library, you can easily convert the following text or data formats to QR Code images in Java projects.

Plain English text using 128 Full ASCII characters
Unicode text
Binary data
GS1 business data message

Convert ASCII chars to QR Code

It is an easy job to encode and convert plain English text (ASCII characters) to QR Code using Java.

Set the QR Code encoding ASCII chars using setData() method, such as barcode.setData("your text here")
Call method drawBarcode() to print QR Code to an image file or object in Java memory

Encode ASCII non-printing chars

ASCII character table includes 33 non-printing chars (control characters), you cannot directly key-in these characters from your keyboard. To encode ASCII non-printing chars in QR Code, Java Barcode library provides method to support it.

Enable property ProcessTilde by calling setProcessTilde(true)
Set QR Code data mode as Auto in method setDataMode(QRCode.M_AUTO)
In QR Code encoding data property, you need convert each the non-printing character to ASCII value in 3-digit format with '~' in the beginning. For example, char "carriage return" or '[CR]' ASCII value is 13. You need use the string text "~013" to encode char [CR] in QR Code.

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setProcessTilde(true);
barcode.setDataMode(QRCode.M_AUTO);
barcode.setData("~013");
barcode.drawBarcode("c://Output//OnBarcode.com//java-qrcode-ascii-non-printing-chars.png");

Convert Unicode text to QR Code

Here are the sample Java source code to generate QR Code with Unicode text encoded.

Create a new QRCode object in Java program
Enable property EncodeUnicodeText by calling method setEncodeUnicodeText(true)
Input the Unicode text in property Data. Here we have provided a simple Chinese text, meaning hello in Chinese.
Call method drawBarcode to print the QR Code to a PNG image file

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setEncodeUnicodeText(true);
barcode.setData("你好");
barcode.drawBarcode("c://Output//OnBarcode.com//java-qrcode-unicode-text.png");

UTF8 & UTF16 encoding

In the above Java sample code, the barcode library will generate QR Code using UTF8 encoding. You can select other text encoding format by calling method setUnicodeEncoding()

//  Set unicode encoding mode that is used for the input message in Encode Unicode Text mode.
//  Ignore this property if property EncodeUnicodeText is false.
//  value (int): Unicode Encoding ID
//  Valid Mode ID
//   IBarcode.TEXT_ENCODING_UTF8: for UTF-8 (Default)
//   IBarcode.TEXT_ENCODING_UTF16: for UTF-16
//   IBarcode.TEXT_ENCODING_UTF16BE: for UTF-16 big endian
//   IBarcode.TEXT_ENCODING_UTF16LE: for UTF-16 little endian
public void setUnicodeEncoding(int value)

How to Resize Generated Barcode QR-Code Image Width and Height?

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You can set barcode image width and height through properties barcodeWidth and barcodeHeight values.
Or you can set X (bar module width) and Y (bar module height) values

How to create styled QR Code with logo image using Java?

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Now QR Codes connect the physical and digital worlds. A standard and ISO compatible QR Code cannot meet business and marketing requirements. We need more extra requirements for QR Code, including displaying logos, styled colors.

Here we will demonstrate how to create and print a styled QR Code with logo image in Java class.

Create a QRCode object
Set the QR Code encoding data using method setData
Select the logo image using method setLogo
Set logo image width and height using method setLogoActualWidth and setLogoActualHeight
Set QR Code error correction level through method setEcl
Create and print QR Code with logo image embeded

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setData("https://www.facebook.com");
barcode.setLogo(ImageIO.read(new File("C://Input//facebook.png")));
barcode.setLogoActualWidth(60);
barcode.setLogoActualHeight(60);
barcode.setEcl(QRCode.ECL_M);
barcode.drawBarcode("C://demo//qrcode-styled-logo.png");

Here is a QR Code with logo image printed in the web page in the Java web application.

How to create, customize QR Code options in Java application?

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QR Code error correction mode

Four levels of Reed-Solomon error correction (referred to as L, M, Q and H in increasing order of capacity) allowing recovery of the QR Code barcode data.

L: 7% (default)
M: 15%
Q: 25%
H: 30%

Using Java QR Code Generation library, you shall set QR Code error correction mode through property ECL. The default "ECL" value is QRCodeECL.L. You can view the QR Code error correction level Java demo code below.

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setData("QR Code");
barcode.setDataMode(QRCode.M_AUTO);

/*
    QRCode Error Correction Level. Default is QRCode.ECL_L (0).
        QRCode.ECL_L (0)
        QRCode.ECL_M (1)
        QRCode.ECL_Q (2)
        QRCode.ECL_H (3) 
*/
barcode.setEcl(QRCode.ECL_M);

QR Code Version

In QR Code ISO standard, it defines forty sizes of QR Code barcode referred to as Version 1, Version 2 ... Version 40.

View details at How to set QR Code Versions

Using Java QR Code generator api, you shall set property Version with an interger value, from 1 to 40.

barcode.setVersion(3);

QR Code Structured Append mode

A large data message can be divided and stored in up to 16 QR Code barcodes using QR Code structured Append mode.

In Java QR Code generator sdk library, to implement Structured Append mode, you should apply the following property options :

StructuredAppend: Set value to true, to enable Structured Append mode in QR Code
SymbolCount: Total number of symbols for one QR Code data message
SymbolIndex: The position of current symbol in the sequence (The first symbol index is 0)
Parity: All QR Codes to store the same text message should have the same Parity value.

barcode.setStructuredAppend(true);
barcode.setSymbolCount(3);
barcode.setSymbolIndex(0);
barcode.setParity(999);

QR Code GS1 Text and FNC1 in first position

This QR Code FNC1 mode indicator identifies the current QR Code encoding data formatted according to the GS1 Application Identifiers standard.

To enable this mode using Java QR Code generator library, you need apply the following property in the Java source code below.

Set property FNC1 with value FNC1.FNC1_1ST_POS

QRCode barcode = new QRCode();
barcode.setFnc1Mode(IBarcode.FNC1_ENABLE);
barcode.setData("(17)050101(10)ABC123");
barcode.drawBarcode("C://Output//java-qrcode-mode-gs1.png");

How to Create QR Code Image in Html or JSP Pages?

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Under demo package, copy barcode folder and its contents to your tomcat.
Start tomcat, navigate to http://YourDomain:Port/barcode/barcode?DATA=QRCodeEncodingData&TYPE=qrcode
To create bar code images in html or jsp pages, you can insert a image tag (img) into your page.
For example, <img src="http://YourDomain:Port/barcode/barcode?DATA=QRCodeEncodingData&TYPE=qrcode" />

How to Generate QR Code Image in Java Servlet Class?

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import com.onbarcode.barcode.AbstractBarcode; 
import com.onbarcode.barcode.QRCode; 
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet; 
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest; 
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse; 
import javax.servlet.ServletException; 
import javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream; 
   
public class BarcodeServlet extends HttpServlet 
{ 
    public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException 
    { 
        try { 
            QRCode barcode = new QRCode(); 
            barcode.setData("QRCode"); 
                 
            ServletOutputStream servletoutputstream = response.getOutputStream(); 
              
            response.setContentType("image/jpeg"); 
            response.setHeader("Pragma", "no-cache"); 
            response.setHeader("Cache-Control", "no-cache"); 
            response.setDateHeader("Expires", 0); 
           
            // Generate QRCode barcode & output to ServletOutputStream
            barcode.drawBarcode(servletoutputstream); 
      
        } catch (Exception e) { 
            throw new ServletException(e); 
        } 
    } 
}

How to Generate & Print QR Code in Java Reports (Jasper, iReport, BIRT reports)?

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Using OnBarcode Java Barcode Generator library API, you can generate and print QR Codes in Java reporting applications. The barcode library supports QR Codes generation in iReport, Jasper Reports, Eclipse BIRT reports Java projects. View detailed developer guide below:

Java QR Code Generator - Barcode Property Settings

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Java QR Code Generator in Java Class: com.onbarcode.barcode.QRCode

View the details here: complete QR Code property settings in Java class

Common Asked Questions

What does QR stand for in code?

QR stands for "quick response", and QR Code is a 2-dimensional matrix barcode on steroids. The QR code stores data information both horizontally and vertically. OnBarcode Java Barcode Generator library supports QR Code generation in Java class, Jasper Reports, iReport in Java projects.

What is the smallest size a QR Code can be printed?

If your QR Code will be scanned by QR Code scanner devices, the minimum size for a QR Code is 1 x 1 cm. However if the QR Code will be scanned by smartphones (iOS or Android), most the barcode scanner app requires that the minimum size for a QR Code is 2 x 2 cm.

Using Java QR Code Generator library, you can create and customize the printed QR Code dimension size through methods QRCode.setBarcodeWidth() in class com.onbarcode.barcode.QRCode

How to create a QR Code for a picture?

To create a QR code from a photo or an image in Java project

Convert the photo image raw data into byte array
Create a QR Code object
Set the QR Code data mode in method setDataMode() with QRCode.M_BYTE as parameter
Set setProcessTilde() with value true
Set QR Code encoding data through method setData()
Print and output QR Code to an image file

Does the color of a QR Code matter?

Choose whatever colors you want but always make sure the back and fore colors have strong contrast. We suggest at least 70% darker to ensure reliable scanning, and always scan and verify your QR code to make sure it works using the colors you've chosen.

In Java class, you can create and initiate a QRCode object to generate QR Code barcode images, and customize the QR Code bar color through method setForeColor(), and the QR Code background color through method setBackColor(), in Java class QRCode

How much data can be stored in a QR code?

A standard QR Code can store up to three kilobytes (KB) of data. A QR Code symbol with version 40-L can hold the following data information:

numeric data: 7,089 characters
alphanumeric data: 4,296 characters
byte data: 2,953 characters
Kanji data: 1,817 characters

In Java class, you can create and initiate a QRCode object to generate QR Code barcode images, and set the encode the data through method setData().

What is the difference between a barcode and a QR Code?

Barcode is usually known as 1d or linear barcode symbology, which can store limited number of characters. QR Code or Quick Response code, is a type of two-dimensional code that can hold more than 4,200 alphanumeric characters.

Using OnBarcode Java Barcode Generator library, you can create QR Code (standard, GS1, Micro, Macro versions) and other 20+ 2d, 1d barcodes such as Code 128, Data Matrix, EAN/UPC barcodes in Java class, JSP, Servlet, iReport, JasperReports, BIRT reports applications.

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