diff --git a/coding/qr.go b/coding/qr.go
index bfc3ea4..1f56d42 100644
--- a/coding/qr.go
+++ b/coding/qr.go
@@ -318,6 +318,121 @@ func (c *Code) Black(x, y int) bool {
 		c.Bitmap[y*c.Stride+x/8]&(1<<uint(7-x&7)) != 0
 }
 
+// Penalty returns the scoring penalty of a pixel grid.
+func (c *Code) Penalty() int {
+	return c.adjacentPenalty() + c.blockPenalty() + c.patternPenalty() + c.proportionPenalty()
+}
+
+// adjacentPenalty penalizes adjacent modules of the
+// same color in a row/column.
+func (c *Code) adjacentPenalty() int {
+	const n1 = 3
+	var p int
+	for y := 0; y < c.Size; y++ {
+		last := c.Black(0, y)
+		bs := 0
+		for x := 1; x < c.Size; x++ {
+			b := c.Black(x, y)
+			if b != last {
+				if n := x - bs; n >= 5 {
+					p += n1 + (n - 5)
+				}
+				bs = x
+			}
+			last = b
+		}
+		if n := c.Size - bs; n >= 5 {
+			p += n1 + (n - 5)
+		}
+	}
+	for x := 0; x < c.Size; x++ {
+		last := c.Black(x, 0)
+		bs := 0
+		for y := 1; y < c.Size; y++ {
+			b := c.Black(x, y)
+			if b != last {
+				if n := y - bs; n >= 5 {
+					p += n1 + (n - 5)
+				}
+				bs = y
+			}
+			last = b
+		}
+		if n := c.Size - bs; n >= 5 {
+			p += n1 + (n - 5)
+		}
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// blockPenalty penalizes blocks of modules in the same color.
+func (c *Code) blockPenalty() int {
+	const n2 = 3
+	var n int
+	for x := 0; x < c.Size-1; x++ {
+		for y := 0; y < c.Size-1; y++ {
+			// The spec does not specify how to
+			// count overlapping blocks, so just
+			// count all 2x2 blocks.
+			tl := c.Black(x, y)
+			if tl == c.Black(x+1, y) && tl == c.Black(x, y+1) && tl == c.Black(x+1, y+1) {
+				n++
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return n * n2
+}
+
+// patternPenalty penalizes the 1:1:3:1:1 ratio
+// (dark:light:dark:light:dark) pattern in row/column.
+func (c *Code) patternPenalty() int {
+	const n3 = 40
+	pattern := []bool{true, false, true, true, true, false, true}
+	var n int
+	for y := 0; y < c.Size; y++ {
+	row:
+		for x := 0; x <= c.Size-7; x++ {
+			for i, d := range pattern {
+				if c.Black(x+i, y) != d {
+					continue row
+				}
+			}
+			n++
+		}
+	}
+	for x := 0; x < c.Size; x++ {
+	col:
+		for y := 0; y <= c.Size-7; y++ {
+			for i, d := range pattern {
+				if c.Black(x, y+i) != d {
+					continue col
+				}
+			}
+			n++
+		}
+	}
+	return n * n3
+}
+
+// proportionPenalty penalizes non-equal proportion
+// of dark modules in the whole symbol.
+func (c *Code) proportionPenalty() int {
+	const n4 = 10
+	var black int
+	for x := 0; x < c.Size; x++ {
+		for y := 0; y < c.Size; y++ {
+			if c.Black(x, y) {
+				black++
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	d := 10 - (20*black)/(c.Size*c.Size)
+	if d < 0 {
+		d = -d
+	}
+	return n4 * d
+}
+
 // A Mask describes a mask that is applied to the QR
 // code to avoid QR artifacts being interpreted as
 // alignment and timing patterns (such as the squares
diff --git a/coding/qr_test.go b/coding/qr_test.go
index c933bb8..7ca8b81 100644
--- a/coding/qr_test.go
+++ b/coding/qr_test.go
@@ -131,3 +131,43 @@ func TestEncode(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("have %x want %x", out, check)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestPenalty(t *testing.T) {
+	grid := &Code{
+		// runs of 5, 6, 8, 6 -> 17
+		// 11 2x2 blocks      -> 33
+		// 2 penalty patterns -> 80
+		// 61% black          -> 20
+		Bitmap: []byte{
+			0xe0, // 11100000
+			0xe7, // 11100111
+			0x5c, // 01011100
+			0x79, // 01111001
+			0x5d, // 01011101
+			0xfd, // 11111101
+			0xe4, // 11100100
+			0xe9, // 11101001
+		},
+		Size:   8,
+		Stride: 1,
+	}
+	const (
+		adjacentPenalty   = 17
+		blockPenalty      = 33
+		patternPenalty    = 80
+		proportionPenalty = 20
+	)
+
+	if got := grid.adjacentPenalty(); got != adjacentPenalty {
+		t.Errorf("have adjacent penalty %d want %d", got, adjacentPenalty)
+	}
+	if got := grid.blockPenalty(); got != blockPenalty {
+		t.Errorf("have block penalty %d want %d", got, blockPenalty)
+	}
+	if got := grid.patternPenalty(); got != patternPenalty {
+		t.Errorf("have pattern penalty %d want %d", got, patternPenalty)
+	}
+	if got := grid.proportionPenalty(); got != proportionPenalty {
+		t.Errorf("have proportion penalty %d want %d", got, proportionPenalty)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/qr.go b/qr.go
index ace7e6f..9837e58 100644
--- a/qr.go
+++ b/qr.go
@@ -53,19 +53,26 @@ func Encode(text string, level Level) (*Code, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Build and execute plan.
-	p, err := coding.NewPlan(v, l, 0)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	cc, err := p.Encode(enc)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	// Pick appropriate mask.
+	var best *coding.Code
+	lowPenalty := int(^uint(0) >> 1)
+	for m := coding.Mask(0); m < 7; m++ {
+		// Build and execute plan.
+		p, err := coding.NewPlan(v, l, m)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		cc, err := p.Encode(enc)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if pen := cc.Penalty(); pen < lowPenalty {
+			best = cc
+			lowPenalty = pen
+		}
 	}
 
-	// TODO: Pick appropriate mask.
-
-	return &Code{cc.Bitmap, cc.Size, cc.Stride, 8}, nil
+	return &Code{best.Bitmap, best.Size, best.Stride, 8}, nil
 }
 
 // A Code is a square pixel grid.