QR code size on a business card, menu or sign
On a business card, a QR code that holds a link should be at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide, plus its white margin. A full contact needs 3 cm. How to check.
On a business card, a QR code that holds a short link should be at least 2 cm (0.8 inch) wide, and 2.5 cm is safer. A code that holds a whole contact needs about 3 cm, and a code scanned from further away should be about a tenth of the scanning distance.
What is the minimum size of a QR code on a business card?
Many guides give 2 x 2 cm as the smallest size for print; some say 2.5 or 3 cm. Recent phones can often read smaller codes, but not every phone and not in every light, so 2 cm is a floor, not a target. The guides disagree mostly because of what the code holds.
Why does the amount of data change the size?
A QR code is a grid of small squares, called modules: 21 across for the smallest, up to 177 for the largest. The more you put in the code, the more squares it needs, and at the same printed width more squares means smaller ones, which are harder to read.
Here are three codes made with the encoder vCardGen uses, at error correction level M. Square sizes are for the code without its white margin:
| What the code holds | Squares across | One square at 2 cm | One square at 3 cm |
|---|---|---|---|
A short link, such as https://vcardgen.com/jane-doe?qr | 29 | 0.69 mm | 1.03 mm |
| A contact with a name and a phone number | 41 | 0.49 mm | 0.73 mm |
| A full contact: name, company, title, phone, email, website, address | 65 | 0.31 mm | 0.46 mm |
One QR code maker's guide puts the smallest reliable square at about 0.4 mm. A full contact squeezed into 2 cm is well below that; at 3 cm it just clears it. That gives these rough sizes:
- A short link: 2 cm at least, 2.5 cm to be safe.
- A contact with a few fields: 2.5 cm.
- A full contact (a vCard QR code): 3 cm, more if the card allows.
Does the white margin count in the size?
The QR code standard asks for an empty margin 4 squares wide on every side: no text, no frame, no edge of the card. Without it, a phone may not find where the code starts.
Guides rarely say whether their "2 cm" includes that margin, so count it on top. A 29-square code needs 37 squares of room in all: a 2 cm code takes about 2.6 cm of the card. If your file already includes the margin, as vCardGen's PNG and SVG files do, the size you give the image is the total, and the code inside is smaller.
How big should a QR code be on a menu or a sign?
The rule most often given is 10 to 1: the scanning distance is about ten times the width of the code. One guide lowers the ratio to 8 to 1 or less for poor light, a code seen at an angle, or colours with weak contrast.
| Where the code is | Scanned from about | Smallest width (10:1) |
|---|---|---|
| Business card, flyer | 20 cm | 2 cm |
| Menu or card on a table | 30 cm | 3 cm |
| Counter or till | 50 cm | 5 cm |
| Sign on a wall or door | 1 m | 10 cm |
| Shop window seen from the pavement | 2 m | 20 cm |
The distances are rough guides, and the widths are minimums for a short link printed dark on white. In a restaurant, dim light and guests who scan from their seat argue for the larger end. If you are setting up a table menu, our guide to making a QR code menu covers what to print with the code.
Why won't my printed QR code scan?
If it scans on screen but not on paper, check these:
- The code is too small for what it holds. A full contact at 2 cm needs a very sharp camera held very close.
- The margin was cut or covered by a frame, a line of text or the edge of the card.
- The contrast is weak. Printers advise a dark code on white or a very light background, not light on dark.
- The image was stretched. A small PNG enlarged for a sign turns blurry. Use an SVG, which stays sharp at any size.
- The finish reflects light. A high-gloss coating can throw a bright spot across the code under a lamp. A matte finish avoids it.
How do I check the size before I print?
- Print one card at 100% scale, not "fit to page".
- Measure the code with a ruler, and check the margin is intact.
- Scan it with two or three phones, an older one among them, from the distance people will really hold it, then again in a dim room.
- Check that the right link or contact opens.
If one phone hesitates, make the code bigger or put less in it.
How do I fit a QR code on a business card?
A standard card is 85 x 55 mm in much of Europe and 3.5 x 2 inches in the US, so space is short. Put a link in the code rather than the whole contact: the code stays light, even if the page it opens shows a photo, your numbers and your socials. Give it a clear corner and a few words such as "Scan to save my contact".
This is how the vCardGen digital business card works. It is free: you build your card in the browser and sign in with a code sent by email. Its QR code holds only your card's address, 29 squares across for a short address like the one in the table. From your account you can download a print-ready 85 x 55 mm card, your details on the left and the code on the right (about 39 mm, margin included), or print eight on one sheet with cut marks. You can edit your card at any time, and the printed code stays the same.
If you would rather have a code that holds your details directly, the vCard generator makes one without an account. Plan on 3 cm for it, and remember that such a code cannot be changed once printed.
