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JSK Inkstone documentation

Installation

JSK Inkstone is distributed as a Windows installer (.msi) and an alternative setup executable (.exe). Download either and run it. If double-clicking appears to do nothing, right-click and choose Run as administrator — the installer needs elevation.

On first run the app opens ready to use. There is no account, no activation step and no trial period. Check the version in Windows Settings → Apps if you need to confirm which build you have.

macOS and Linux are not available today.

JSK Inkstone is published by JSKAPPS.

QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

Setup and account

The app works with no account. In that state — called Instant — it generates and exports codes and makes no network request at all. You can confirm this yourself: open Licence & network and the request list is empty.

Two optional steps unlock more:

  • A free JSKAPPS account unlocks the full design palette and the multi-format barcode reader. Sign in from the Licence & network panel.
  • A Pro licence is a one-time purchase that unlocks print production. Enter the key in the same panel.

Signing out returns you to Instant immediately, and does not discard the code you are working on.

Core concepts

  • Module — one square of the code's grid. Its physical size is what decides whether a printed code can be read; below roughly 0.4 mm a phone camera struggles.
  • Quiet zone — the clear margin around the code. Scanners need it; the app includes it by default and preflight checks it.
  • Error correction — spare data that lets a scanner rebuild a damaged code. Four levels, L to H. Higher levels tolerate more damage but make the code denser for the same content.
  • Preflight — the strip of checks under the preview. It measures the things that stop a code scanning, and it is the single most useful part of the app before a print run.

Feature guide

Making a single code

Choose a content type, fill in the fields, and the preview updates as you type. Eleven types are available at every tier: link, plain text, Wi-Fi, contact card, email, SMS, phone, location, calendar event, WhatsApp and GS1 Digital Link.

Set the print size in millimetres and the resolution for PNG export. The two multiply, so a large size at a high resolution produces a very large image; the app stops you at combinations that cannot be built.

Bulk generation from a spreadsheet

Switch to Batch and either open a CSV or TSV file or paste rows directly. Choose the content column and the type, and the grid previews every code and the exact filename it will be written as.

Bulk export is available at every tier with no row limit. Naming files from your spreadsheet columns — for example {sku}-{index} — is a Pro feature; the free tiers number the files sequentially.

Styling

Module shape, eye shape, colours and the quiet zone are in the styling panel. Instant offers three module shapes, three eye styles and two frames; a free account unlocks the full palette, including independent eye colour.

Every shape in the palette has been checked against a real decoder. A shape that looked good but could not be read was removed rather than shipped.

Adding a logo

Choose a PNG or JPEG. The app clears a space in the middle of the code and draws the logo into it.

The size control stops at what your error-correction level can carry. These limits were measured by decoding real codes, not calculated from the error-correction percentage — which overstates what is survivable, because a logo destroys one solid block in the middle rather than damage spread thinly. At error correction H the ceiling is 35% of the width; at L it is 16%. Raising error correction raises the ceiling.

Frames and a call to action

Seven frames add a border and, on most of them, a caption beneath the code — "SCAN ME", a name, a table number. Instant includes two frames; a free account includes all seven.

Preflight

The strip under the preview reports:

  • Minimum print size — whether the code is large enough at the size you have set, for a reader about 30 cm away. This accounts for the module shape: lighter shapes put down less ink and need more room.
  • Quiet zone — whether the clear margin is intact.
  • Contrast — whether the ink and paper differ enough to read.
  • Error-correction headroom — whether a logo has taken more than the code can rebuild.

Reading a code

Read a code opens an image file and decodes it. A free account extends this to all 17 symbologies — QR, Aztec, Data Matrix, PDF417, EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, Code 93, Code 128, Codabar, ITF, MaxiCode and the RSS family.

It reads image files, not photographs. A photo of a code on a screen or a wall is out of scope in this version.

Print production (Pro)

  • Sheet layout imposes many codes onto one page with cut marks and gutters, ready to guillotine. In batch mode it lays out one cell per row, captioned with each file's name.
  • Proof sheet prints one code at six sizes so you can test on your own printer and stock before committing.
  • PDF and EPS export with CMYK output for press work. EPS opens cleanly in Illustrator with your logo intact, and a 100% K code separates to a single black plate.
  • Verification decodes every code you generate and can simulate print damage and ink spread.

Re-master (Pro)

Rebuild a low-resolution code you already have — a screenshot, an old JPEG — into clean artwork at any size, carrying the original content byte for byte.

The reissue archive

Every export is filed with what it encodes, not a picture of it. Search the archive and reissue any code at a new size years later, without the original file. It is a file in your app-data folder and is never uploaded. Remove all empties it; that cannot be undone.

Settings and options

  • Print size — the code's width in millimetres. Default 40 mm. Type an exact figure in the box, or drag.
  • PNG resolution — dots per inch for raster export. Default 300. Options that would produce an unmanageably large image at your chosen print size are disabled.
  • Error correction — L, M, Q or H. Default M. Higher tolerates more damage and allows a larger logo.
  • Quiet zone — the margin in modules. Default 4, which is the specification's recommendation.
  • Background — solid or transparent. A transparent background with a logo is flagged by preflight, because whatever ends up behind it decides whether the code reads.

Keyboard shortcuts

This version defines no custom keyboard shortcuts. Standard Windows navigation works
throughout — Tab moves between controls, Space and Enter activate them, and the
preview updates as you type.

Limitations and known issues

  • Windows only today. macOS and Linux are planned.
  • The reader takes image files, not photographs. Crop tightly to the code.
  • HEIC is not supported. Convert to PNG or JPEG first.
  • Spot colours are not supported in this version; use 100% K or explicit CMYK values.
  • A gradient is flattened to its start colour in PDF export. PNG and SVG carry it correctly, and the app tells you when this happens.
  • Batch Wi-Fi codes are open networks only — a per-row password column would put every password in a spreadsheet.
  • The logo size ceiling is deliberate. It is not a bug that the slider stops; past that point codes stop scanning.

Troubleshooting

  • Symptom: installer does nothing. Cause: it needs elevation. Fix: right-click → Run as administrator.
  • Symptom: printed code will not scan. Cause: usually too small for the data, or too large a logo. Fix: read the preflight strip; print larger, reduce the content, or raise error correction.
  • Symptom: the code scans on screen but not on paper. Cause: the printed module is smaller than the printer can hold, especially with a light module shape. Fix: print larger or choose a heavier shape.
  • Symptom: an exported file is very large. Cause: fixed in 1.0.4 — a large logo was embedded at source resolution. Fix: update.
  • Symptom: the app says a spot colour was refused. Cause: PDF Separation colour is not supported in this version. Fix: use 100% K or explicit CMYK.

Uninstalling

Windows Settings → Apps → JSK Inkstone → Uninstall. Your exported files are untouched. Settings and the reissue archive live in your application-data folder and can be deleted separately if you want them gone.