# Short URL

> A short URL is a brief address that redirects to a longer one. In QR codes it is used to reduce payload length — which genuinely produces a coarser, more scannable code — at the cost of adding a permanent dependency.

Source: https://useqr.app/glossary/short-url · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## The real benefit

Payload length drives version, and version drives how small each module gets at a given
printed size.

| URL | Length | Version at EC M | Modules |
|---|---|---|---|
| `example.com/spring-sale-2026?utm_source=poster&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring` | 82 | 7 | 45 × 45 |
| `exmpl.co/s26` | 13 | 2 | 25 × 25 |

That is a meaningfully more forgiving code.

## The real cost

Every redirect is a dependency. If the shortener shuts down, is blocked by a corporate
DNS filter, or gets flagged for abuse by another user of the same domain, your printed
code stops working — and you cannot reprint what is already in the world.

## The rule

Use a shortener **on a domain you own**. Do not use a public one for anything printed. For a
poster with a six-week life, the risk is small; for packaging with a five-year life, it is
not.