Create a QR code for an email draft.

What is inside a QR code for email?

The usual payload is a mailto URI. A short example is mailto:hello@example.com?subject=Order%20question&body=Hi%2C%20my%20order%20number%20is. The recipient appears after mailto:, while optional fields follow the question mark. The %20 sequence represents a space, %2C represents a comma, and %0D%0A represents a line break.

You type the subject and message as ordinary text. The generator encodes the values for the link, preserving their meaning while keeping punctuation from being mistaken for separators. The displayed payload is intentionally more technical-looking than the draft. Inspect it for the right recipient, then open a test draft to check the human-readable result.

A scanner may hand the mailto address to the default email handler, offer a choice of apps or show the decoded link. It does not deliver an email itself. The device needs a usable mail setup, and the sender remains responsible for reviewing the recipient and content before sending.

Why mailto is the default, with MATMSG as an alternative

A mailto link is the web-oriented format for asking an email application to compose a message. It is suitable for ordinary links as well as QR payloads, which gives it a familiar role outside a particular scanner. MATMSG is another convention supported by some barcode readers, using fields such as TO, SUB and BODY.

Use the default unless you have a specific reader that needs the alternative. A scanner can decode MATMSG and still display it as plain text instead of launching an email draft. Changing format is therefore a compatibility choice to test, not a guaranteed repair for every device. The local read-back result only checks that the rendered pattern contains the intended text.

What happens with Mail, Gmail and Outlook?

The device's configured email handler determines which app receives a mailto link. On an iPhone or iPad, a supported app can be chosen as the default email app in the system settings. On Android or a computer, the relevant default-app and browser configuration determines the handler. The QR code does not force Gmail or Outlook merely because the recipient address uses that service.

If Gmail is the configured mail handler, opening the code may start a Gmail draft. If no mail account or handler is ready, the person may see a setup prompt or no useful action. Test a real device with an active account rather than concluding that the payload is broken from an unconfigured test browser.

Optional fields such as CC and BCC depend on the receiving application. Inspect the final draft to confirm they were included. A BCC address is not secret inside the QR image: anyone who reads the payload can see it, even though BCC affects recipient visibility in a message after it is sent.

Keep the subject and message useful and short

A subject around 60 characters or fewer is a useful editorial target, not a mail standard or a guaranteed limit. State the purpose clearly: “Workshop registration question” is more helpful than “Hello.” Use one or two sentences in the body to tell the sender what details to add, then let them complete those details privately.

For an order inquiry, a draft can ask the person to add their order number. Do not prefill somebody's real order number in a code you intend to publish. Avoid requesting passwords, payment-card information or unrelated personal data by email. The convenience of a template should not encourage people to share more than the recipient needs.

Long subjects and bodies increase payload density. If the preview is becoming difficult to print, shorten the template or link to a form designed for the full request. A contact email code is a starting point for a conversation, not a replacement for a carefully designed data-collection workflow.

Use a QR code email link in a signature

A signature image can be useful when your email is printed, shown on another screen or forwarded as a document. For an ordinary email read on the same device, a clickable address is usually the easier action. Keep that text address visible even if you add a QR image.

A 200 × 200 pixel image displayed at 100 × 100 CSS pixels can look crisp in a signature, but it is only a starting layout choice. Dense payloads may need a larger image. Use the signature export or download a suitable PNG, then add it through your email client's signature editor or a stable image URL you control.

If using an HTML snippet, replace the image source with the location where you actually host the exported image. A local download path is not accessible to email recipients. Some clients block remote images, resize them or discard parts of signature HTML, so send a trial email to several clients and check the result. Do not rely on the QR image as the only way to contact you.

An email draft or a plain address in a QR code?

A plain-text code containing an email address only guarantees that the reader can recover that text. Some scanners may recognize the address, while others simply display it. A mailto payload explicitly identifies the email action and can include a subject and body, which is useful when you want an organized starting point.

If you want people to save your email with your name and phone, a contact card is a better fit. If you want answers to structured questions stored in a response collection, a form may be better. Choose the format that reduces work for the person scanning rather than placing every possible contact detail into one draft.

Use a vCard when the goal is saving contact details instead of starting an email. Create a vCard contact code

Make the code and verify the draft

Enter the recipient, subject and a short optional body. Add CC or BCC only if those recipients belong in every draft. Read the encoded preview, then open a test on a configured mail app and compare all fields with what you entered.

Choose a design, download the file and test a printed proof. Look for accidental plus signs, missing line breaks and an unexpected recipient. The code itself has no PactQR expiry, but the mailbox must remain available and the print must remain readable. If the address changes, create a new code and replace the old material.