diff --git a/src/QRCodeReader.php b/src/QRCodeReader.php
index 8e50eb1b0..41e5f323f 100644
--- a/src/QRCodeReader.php
+++ b/src/QRCodeReader.php
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 namespace chillerlan\QRCode;
 
+use chillerlan\Settings\SettingsContainerInterface;
 use Imagick, InvalidArgumentException;
 use chillerlan\QRCode\Decoder\{Decoder, DecoderResult, GDLuminanceSource, IMagickLuminanceSource};
 use function extension_loaded, file_exists, file_get_contents, imagecreatefromstring, is_file, is_readable;
@@ -22,13 +23,18 @@ use function extension_loaded, file_exists, file_get_contents, imagecreatefromst
  */
 final class QRCodeReader{
 
-	private bool $useImagickIfAvailable;
+	/**
+	 * The settings container
+	 *
+	 * @var \chillerlan\QRCode\QROptions|\chillerlan\Settings\SettingsContainerInterface
+	 */
+	private SettingsContainerInterface $options;
 
 	/**
 	 *
 	 */
-	public function __construct(bool $useImagickIfAvailable = true){
-		$this->useImagickIfAvailable = $useImagickIfAvailable && extension_loaded('imagick');
+	public function __construct(SettingsContainerInterface $options = null){
+		$this->options = $options ?? new QROptions;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -38,7 +44,7 @@ final class QRCodeReader{
 	 */
 	private function decode($im):DecoderResult{
 
-		$source = $this->useImagickIfAvailable
+		$source = $this->options->useImagickIfAvailable
 			? new IMagickLuminanceSource($im)
 			: new GDLuminanceSource($im);
 
@@ -56,7 +62,7 @@ final class QRCodeReader{
 			throw new InvalidArgumentException('invalid file: '.$imgFilePath);
 		}
 
-		$im = $this->useImagickIfAvailable
+		$im = $this->options->useImagickIfAvailable
 			? new Imagick($imgFilePath)
 			: imagecreatefromstring(file_get_contents($imgFilePath));
 
@@ -70,7 +76,7 @@ final class QRCodeReader{
 	 */
 	public function readBlob(string $imgBlob):DecoderResult{
 
-		if($this->useImagickIfAvailable){
+		if($this->options->useImagickIfAvailable){
 			$im = new Imagick;
 			$im->readImageBlob($imgBlob);
 		}
diff --git a/src/QROptions.php b/src/QROptions.php
index ca7fac3d5..540efc176 100644
--- a/src/QROptions.php
+++ b/src/QROptions.php
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ use chillerlan\Settings\SettingsContainerAbstract;
  * @property string|null $imagickBG
  * @property string      $fpdfMeasureUnit
  * @property array|null  $moduleValues
+ * @property bool        $useImagickIfAvailable
  */
 class QROptions extends SettingsContainerAbstract{
 	use QROptionsTrait;
diff --git a/src/QROptionsTrait.php b/src/QROptionsTrait.php
index 7b68f7436..b009024ed 100644
--- a/src/QROptionsTrait.php
+++ b/src/QROptionsTrait.php
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ namespace chillerlan\QRCode;
 
 use chillerlan\QRCode\Common\EccLevel;
 
-use function array_values, count, in_array, is_numeric, max, min, sprintf, strtolower;
+use function array_values, count, extension_loaded, in_array, is_numeric, max, min, sprintf, strtolower;
 
 /**
  * The QRCode plug-in settings & setter functionality
@@ -219,6 +219,11 @@ trait QROptionsTrait{
 	 */
 	protected ?array $moduleValues = null;
 
+	/**
+	 * use Imaagick (if available) when reading QR Codes
+	 */
+	protected bool $useImagickIfAvailable = false;
+
 	/**
 	 * clamp min/max version number
 	 */
@@ -328,4 +333,13 @@ trait QROptionsTrait{
 		// @todo throw or ignore silently?
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * enables Imagick for the QR Code reader if the extension is available
+	 *
+	 * @codeCoverageIgnore
+	 */
+	protected function set_useImagickIfAvailable(bool $useImagickIfAvailable):void{
+		$this->useImagickIfAvailable = $useImagickIfAvailable && extension_loaded('imagick');
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/tests/QRCodeReaderTest.php b/tests/QRCodeReaderTest.php
index 4965d8599..d5230b2e4 100644
--- a/tests/QRCodeReaderTest.php
+++ b/tests/QRCodeReaderTest.php
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 namespace chillerlan\QRCodeTest;
 
+use chillerlan\Settings\SettingsContainerInterface;
 use Exception;
 use chillerlan\QRCode\Common\{EccLevel, Mode, Version};
 use chillerlan\QRCode\{QRCode, QROptions, QRCodeReader};
@@ -32,6 +33,12 @@ class QRCodeReaderTest extends TestCase{
 		.'They say everything looks better with odd numbers of things. But sometimes I put even numbers—just '
 		.'to upset the critics. We\'ll lay all these little funky little things in there. ';
 
+	private SettingsContainerInterface $options;
+
+	protected function setUp():void{
+		$this->options = new QROptions;
+	}
+
 	public function qrCodeProvider():array{
 		return [
 			'helloworld' => ['hello_world.png', 'Hello world!'],
@@ -55,7 +62,9 @@ class QRCodeReaderTest extends TestCase{
 	 * @dataProvider qrCodeProvider
 	 */
 	public function testReaderGD(string $img, string $expected):void{
-		$reader = new QRCodeReader(false);
+		$this->options->useImagickIfAvailable = false;
+
+		$reader = new QRCodeReader($this->options);
 
 		$this::assertSame($expected, (string)$reader->readFile(__DIR__.'/qrcodes/'.$img));
 	}
@@ -69,7 +78,9 @@ class QRCodeReaderTest extends TestCase{
 			$this::markTestSkipped('imagick not installed');
 		}
 
-		$reader = new QRCodeReader(true);
+		$this->options->useImagickIfAvailable = true;
+
+		$reader = new QRCodeReader($this->options);
 
 		$this::assertSame($expected, (string)$reader->readFile(__DIR__.'/qrcodes/'.$img));
 	}
@@ -100,16 +111,17 @@ class QRCodeReaderTest extends TestCase{
 	 * @dataProvider dataTestProvider
 	 */
 	public function testReadData(Version $version, EccLevel $ecc, string $expected):void{
-		$options = new QROptions;
-#		$options->imageTransparent = false;
-		$options->eccLevel         = $ecc->getLevel();
-		$options->version          = $version->getVersionNumber();
-		$options->imageBase64      = false;
-		$options->scale            = 1; // what's interesting is that a smaller scale seems to produce fewer reader errors???
+
+#		$this->options->imageTransparent      = false;
+		$this->options->eccLevel              = $ecc->getLevel();
+		$this->options->version               = $version->getVersionNumber();
+		$this->options->imageBase64           = false;
+		$this->options->scale                 = 1; // what's interesting is that a smaller scale seems to produce fewer reader errors???
+		$this->options->useImagickIfAvailable = true;
 
 		try{
-			$imagedata = (new QRCode($options))->render($expected);
-			$result    = (new QRCodeReader(true))->readBlob($imagedata);
+			$imagedata = (new QRCode($this->options))->render($expected);
+			$result    = (new QRCodeReader($this->options))->readBlob($imagedata);
 		}
 		catch(Exception $e){
 			$this::markTestSkipped($version.$ecc.': '.$e->getMessage());