Generating QR-Codes in InDesign without padding

[Silvio Niklaus]

Dear Community

I use the Generate QR-Code option in InDesign quiet often.

But it always annoys me that InDesign automatically generates a blank frame around the QR-Code which makes it harder for me to aline with other objects.

Is there a possibility to change the settings for the generator?

Thank you.

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi Silvio,

you said:

"Is there a possibility to change the settings for the generator?"

No. But you could develop an object style that takes account of this issue.

As far as I can see the offset of the visible elements of the QR code to the frame that contains is 10 Pt.

This allows to set the frame fitting options to:

[1] Fit Contents To Frame

[2] Offset value: 10 Pt

From my German InDesign 2021 where the 10 Pt offset value is translated to millimeters:

Use the frame fitting options with an object style and apply the object style to a given QR code on the page:

You can go one step further and also apply an absolute value for width and height to compensate the fact that the QR code is now scaled to fit the frame. That value can also be part of an object style.

For width and height I did the following in the input field:

Width: [ 30mm - 20 Pt ]

InDesign is calculating the result in the edit fields to the result of 22.944 mm.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

Hi together,

there is another thread that is showing a bug with InDesign 2025 where the padding values, the zone around the QR code, depends on the complexity of the QR code. Did not check with my German InDesign 2025, but Adobe developers can already see the problem:

Generating QR-Codes in InDesign without padding - Indesign 2025 Problem
tom.jaeger

Tom said: "… However, the problem in INDD2025 now is that the padding vary depending on the amount of information."
https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/generating-qr-codes-in-indesign-without-padding-...

Abhishek Rao from Adobe said:

"I have reproduced the issue on my end as well. Yes, the padding around the QR code is indeed getting more complex depending on the amount of information entered into the code. This seems to be an unintended behavior in InDesign 2025, where the padding automatically adjusts based on the data provided, which might not be ideal in some cases."

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/generating-qr-codes-in-indesign-without-padding-...

So, my method I outlined above will not work with InDesign 2025 version 20.0.0, because the value of padding ( InDesign 2024 and below: 10 Pt ) is different for every QR code added. Still, I have to do some tests…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Silvio Niklaus]

Dear Uwe

Thank you so much for your answer. I will definitly work with the object formate tool.

Liebe Grüsse aus dem Nachbarland Schweiz.

Silvio