How it works
- Type the content, such as a ticket reference or booking code. Any language works.
- Pick the error correction. 23% is the level the Aztec standard recommends, and more makes the code larger but more tolerant of damage.
- Set the module size. The quiet zone can go down to 0, though a small white margin can make the code easier to pick out on a busy page.
- Download the PNG or SVG, or print the Aztec code, and scan a test copy.
Aztec code sizes and capacity
Aztec symbols range from 15 × 15 to 151 × 151 modules. According to ISO/IEC 24778, the largest holds up to 3,832 digits, 3,067 letters or 1,914 bytes at the recommended error correction. The standard allows error correction from 5% to 95% of the data area, and this tool offers 10%, 23%, 36%, 50%.
Where Aztec codes are used
- Rail tickets: the UIC, the international railway association, specifies Aztec codes for international rail ticket barcodes.
- Boarding passes: the IATA boarding pass standard allows Aztec codes on mobile boarding passes, and version 7 of the standard also allows them on printed ones.
- Labels and screens where the code has to sit close to other content, since no quiet zone is required.
What error correction does
Error correction adds extra codewords so a reader can rebuild the data from a code that is scratched, creased or partly covered. The cost is size: at 50% the same text needs a larger symbol than at 23%, so pick the lowest level your conditions allow.
Encoding text in other languages
Aztec stores ASCII text directly. For accented letters, other scripts and emoji, this tool sends UTF-8 bytes with ECI 000026, the Aztec feature that labels the character set, so a reader that supports ECI can turn the bytes back into the same text.
Before you print Aztec codes
- Print a sample at the final size and scan it with the device your staff or customers will use, especially if the code will be shown on a phone screen.
- Use the SVG for print work and the PNG at 2x or 4x for screens.
- Keep the ticket data short where you can. Shorter content gives a smaller code with larger modules at the same printed size.
More barcode formats
Frequently asked questions
Does an Aztec code need a quiet zone?
No. ISO/IEC 24778 requires no quiet zone, because readers find the code from the bullseye in its centre. That is why the quiet zone setting here starts at 0.
Which error correction level should I choose?
Use 23% unless your ticketing or scanning system asks for something else, since that is the level the standard recommends. Raise it if the codes are likely to get damaged.
Is an Aztec code the same as a QR code?
No. Both are square 2D codes, but an Aztec code has one bullseye in the middle, while a QR code has square finder patterns in three of its corners.
How much can an Aztec code hold?
Up to 3,832 digits or 1,914 bytes in the largest symbol at the recommended error correction. Higher error correction leaves less room for data.
Can I make train or airline tickets with this?
You can make the code, but the ticket data and any security signature follow the rules of the rail or airline system. This tool only encodes the text you type.