Summary
How to create a QR (Quick Response) code in Adobe Express. Covers entering a destination link, customizing the color, style, logo, and frame, downloading the code as a PNG, JPEG, or PDF file, and adding it to a flyer, poster, or slide. Adobe Express runs in a web browser and as an app on iPad and iPhone.
Body
Questions
- How do I make a QR code in Adobe Express?
- How do I create a QR code that links to a website?
- How do I add my own colors, style, or logo to a QR code?
- What file format should I download my QR code in?
- How do I add a QR code to a flyer, poster, or slide?
- Can I change where a QR code points after I make it?
- Do QR codes made in Adobe Express expire?
- What tool do I use to make QR Codes?
- Does Bowdoin have software to create QR Codes?
Environment
This article applies to:
- Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students
- Adobe Express in a web browser at express.adobe.com, and the Adobe Express app for iPad and iPhone
- An Adobe account. Sign in with your Bowdoin account to use the features included with Bowdoin's Adobe Creative Cloud plan. For help getting access to Adobe, see the Adobe Creative Cloud articles in the Related Articles section.
A QR (Quick Response) code is a square barcode that opens a link when someone scans it with a phone camera. Adobe Express creates static QR codes, which means the destination link is set when the code is made and cannot be changed afterward. Static codes made in Adobe Express do not expire.
Resolution
Generate the code and download it as an image file with Generate and download a QR code. Place the code inside a flyer, poster, or slide with Add the QR code to a design.
Generate and download a QR code
- Open a web browser and go to express.adobe.com, then sign in with your Bowdoin account.
- On the Adobe Express home page, select the plus icon in the left panel, then choose Quick actions and select Generate QR code.
- Enter or paste the destination link (the web address the code should open) in the URL field.
- Select the File format from the dropdown. Adobe Express offers PNG, JPEG, and PDF. Choose PNG for use on a screen or a webpage, and PDF when the code is going into a printed piece.
- Customize the code by choosing a color and style. You can also upload a logo to place in the center and add a custom frame.
- Check the preview shown on the left, then scan it with your phone camera to confirm it opens the correct link.
- Select Download to save the QR code to your computer.
Before you print or share it: A QR code made in Adobe Express is static, so the link it points to cannot be changed once the code is created. Scan the finished code and confirm it opens the right page before you print it or hand it out. If the destination might change later, link the code to a page you control (for example a Bowdoin webpage) and update that page instead of reprinting the code.
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Add the QR code to a design
Use this method to place the QR code inside a flyer, poster, event sign, or slide instead of downloading it on its own.
- Open a web browser and go to express.adobe.com, then sign in with your Bowdoin account.
- On the Adobe Express home page, select the plus icon in the left panel, then choose Quick actions and select Generate QR code.
- Enter or paste the destination link, then set the color and style for the code.
- Select Open in editor to place the QR code on a design canvas.
- Add or open the flyer, poster, or slide you want, then drag the QR code into position and resize it. Keep the code large enough to scan easily and leave clear space around all four sides.
- Select Download in the top corner of the editor, choose a file format, and save the finished design.
Make your QR code accessible: A QR code alone leaves out anyone who cannot scan it, so always print or post the plain web address as text next to the code, along with a few words about where it goes (for example, "Scan to register, or visit bowdoin.edu/events"). Keep strong contrast between the code and its background, usually a dark code on a light background, and do not shrink the code so small that a phone camera struggles to read it.
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Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
Additional Resources
AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing tool and reviewed by Bowdoin IT staff for accuracy.