QR code sizing issue

[BlaisAmon]

I need two URL link QR codes on the same page, side by side. Since the URLs differ in lenght the two codes are just different enough in size that the alignment looks off. There's no way to fix this or is there?

Is there no way to crop the codes' frame to their actual dimensions or pull them out of there somehow?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Can you not just scale the codes to be the same visual size?

[BlaisAmon]

Yes and no, it's doable, but takes way too much time to produce inaccurate results, not an option for 40+ pages ...

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Create 1 QR code at the size you want

Set the Frame Fitting Options

Duplicate the QR code

Go to 

And insert your new URL. 

You can set the QR code frame as an Object Style

So if you wanted to increase or decrease the size you can easily

And it would apply to all QR codes.

Spacing might be problematic - but you could anchor the QR codes in a text frame.

And then the spacing would be the same all the time. 

[BlaisAmon]

Thanks, I have tried all that, and cannot produce accurate results, the two QR codes cannot be the same size, nor can they be spaced or aligned properly this way, which I find is a major flaw of Adobe's QR tools.

(Your final image has decent enough results, but in my case I have two additional lines of 90 degrees rotated text units between the two codes (indicating two languages), and it all looks messy/inaccurate, every code/object looks mis-aligned and mis-spaced.)

[Eugene Tyson]

You can absolutely do it - no problem. 

I've demonstrated it perfectly here. 

Can you attach a sample document - I will try set it up for you. 

Or maybe others will also try.

It can be done.

[BlaisAmon]

I like your enthusiasm 🙂

I'm under a NDA, so I have removed everything specific from the document attached, but please, I'm curious how it could be done with so many different sizes ...

[Eugene Tyson]

Let me know if this suits your needs.

I already changed the URLs - you can test yourself.

IF it's not working as intended please describe your needs. 

[BlaisAmon]

Looking at your document/solution now and it only shows how bad the issue really is. Nothing is aligned or spaced properly, and I still think it is impossible to solve it, unless the code could get trimmed/cropped to its actual size and/or moved out of the container somehow.

I honestly appreciate the efforts though.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

QR codes are simply graphics. Select the graphic (not the frame) and adjust the scaling via percentage or exact size to make the codes match in size.

This should be a very simple step, really.

If what you mean is that the codes don't have matching dot density... that is an inflexible result of the amount of data each contains. You can try generating the codes on any of the many, many other sites and apps that create them and you will get the same results.

[Eugene Tyson]

I think what's happening that they are not happy with is that when the URLs are different lengths - the resulting QR code doesn't line up exactly - the size does shift ever so slightly. 

I use Barcode Studio

https://www.tec-it.com/en/software/barcode-software/barcode-creator/barcode-studio/Default.aspx

Here you batch create the codes - and also set the size - the dot density and they will generate very well. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Good place to point out that while ID's code generator is a convenience, it's not really the best tool for the job, and if more control and multiple codes are needed, it may be best to use another tool or service.

But it's still trivial to size the codes to matching dimensions; it's just not automatic.

[BlaisAmon]

The real problem/fault is that the codes come in a frame and that the codes themselves have some sort of margin included/embeded. I'm guessing this is the safety margin for the codes to be readable, but as a result it is impossible to accurately (re)size and/or align them, and I would honestly see no reason why ID could not have a setting to override that.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Because the QR code generator is a tacked-on feature with many limitations compared to other apps and services. It's not going to be improved any time soon; if your code needs are demanding, then create the QR codes with a more capable tool and place them as graphics.

But again: the codes are just graphics. Select the graphic in the frame — not the frame — and, using guidelines if necessary, adjust its scale until it precisely matches the other codes. Repeat down the line as needed. No, it's not automatic and there is no absolute value involved since ID does generate somewhat different margins for different code 'resolutions' — just one of its faults — but this should be a one-minute-and-done task, really.

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

QR codes were added some time ago and I don't think they were ever really improved upon.

Report bugs or make a feature request
https://indesign.uservoice.com/

I do recommend Barcode Studio though. 
But there are plenty of QR code generators out there for free that might be better.

As mentioned they are just in graphic frames

In the file I sent you

Go to Window>Styles>Object Styles

You'll see the QR ObjectStyle I created

And increase the crop amount

This gets it close to the edge of the frame. 

It's not perfect. But I assume as you do it's to do with a hidden setting for a quiet zone for the barcode.

If it's that important then I really think you should find a QR generator that can do what you need.