Quick answer: paste the ticket or pass data – or any text – and the Aztec code is drawn around its bullseye centre. Keep standard error correction (23 %) unless the code will be shown on scratched screens or poor prints, then download.
The bullseye that finds itself
Andrew Longacre and Robert Hussey designed Aztec Code in 1995. Instead of finder patterns in the corners, it has a square bullseye in the centre and grows outwards in layers. A scanner finds the centre first, so the code works even when it is printed right up to the edge of a ticket or displayed edge-to-edge on a phone screen – no quiet zone is needed.
| Compact format | 1–4 layers, 15×15 to 27×27 modules |
| Full-range format | 1–32 layers, up to 151×151 modules |
| Capacity | up to 3,832 digits or 3,067 letters |
| Error correction | 5 % to 95 %, 23 % recommended |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 24778 |
How to create an Aztec code
- Enter the data. Any text: a booking reference, a full IATA boarding-pass string or a ticket number.
- Choose the format. Full-range for most data; compact for short data; Rune for a single number 0–255.
- Error correction. 23 % is standard. Raise it for codes shown on phone screens with cracks or glare.
- Download. PNG for apps and e-mails, SVG or PDF for printing.
Airline and rail tickets
IATA's bar-coded boarding pass (BCBP) standard allows Aztec for mobile boarding passes, and most airlines use it in their apps. European rail operators, including Deutsche Bahn and many others selling print-at-home and mobile tickets, use Aztec as well. The data is a fixed-format text string; the sample in the generator shows what the start of a boarding-pass string looks like.
Aztec Runes
A Rune is the smallest Aztec symbol – just the bullseye and an orientation ring – and holds a single number from 0 to 255. It is used as a machine-readable marker, for example to identify a form type.
Showing Aztec codes on phone screens
- Turn the screen brightness up; gate scanners struggle with dim screens.
- Keep a module size of at least 0.33 mm on screen – in an app, avoid scaling the code down to fit other content.
- Use black on white. Dark mode versions with light modules on black are not read by all scanners.
Frequently asked questions
Can a phone camera read Aztec codes?
Most scanning apps and many built-in camera scanners read Aztec. Airline and rail gate scanners always do.
Why doesn’t my Aztec code need a white border?
The scanner finds the bullseye in the middle, so the edges of the code do not need to be separated from the surroundings.
Is Aztec better than QR Code for tickets?
Both work. Aztec is smaller for the same data and needs no margin, which is why transport companies like it.
How much data fits?
Up to about 3,000 letters or 3,800 digits in the largest full-range symbol.
Can I make a real boarding pass?
Only airlines can issue boarding passes. You can, however, create test codes or encode your own data in the same format.