How to print a QR code on a business card
Print it at 2cm square or larger, keep a clear margin of at least four modules around it, use dark on light rather than the reverse, and never crop the three corner squares.
Takes: Twenty minutes with your printer’s template
Size
Two centimetres square, about three quarters of an inch, is a safe minimum for a card held in the hand. The real rule is proportional: a code should be roughly a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from, so a card read at 25cm wants about 2.5cm. Going smaller is the single commonest reason a printed code fails, and it fails worst for the people with the oldest phones.
The Margin Is Not Optional
A QR code needs a clear quiet zone around it, conventionally four modules wide, and it is part of the code rather than decoration around it. Scanners use it to find where the code begins. Designers trim it constantly to make a layout balance, and the result is a code that looks perfect and will not scan on half the phones that try.
Contrast and Colour
- 1
Dark modules on a light background
Not the reverse. Many scanners still assume dark on light, and an inverted code is a gamble for no design benefit.
- 2
Keep real contrast between the two
A mid-grey code on a cream card photographs far worse than it looks on screen. If in doubt, print a test and scan it in poor light.
- 3
Avoid putting it over a photograph
Varying background brightness under the code defeats the scanner even when the code itself is intact.
Placement and Finish
- 4
Keep it clear of the trim edge
Printing is cut with a tolerance of a millimetre or two. A code near the edge can lose part of its quiet zone, or a corner square, on some of the run and not others.
- 5
Prefer matte over gloss where the code sits
Gloss lamination scatters light straight back at the camera. Spot matte over the code is worth asking for if the rest of the card is gloss.
- 6
Supply vector artwork if your printer accepts it
An SVG or EPS stays crisp at any size. A low-resolution PNG scaled up produces soft module edges, which is exactly what a scanner struggles with.
Test Before the Full Run
Print one card, or even just the code at final size on the intended stock, and scan it with the oldest phone you can find, in the worst light you can find, at arm’s length. Thirty seconds of that prevents the expensive version of this mistake, which is five hundred cards that nobody can use.
Common questions
What is the minimum size for a QR code on a business card?
About 2cm square. The underlying rule is that a code should be roughly a tenth of its scanning distance, and a card is read from about 25cm.
Can I put a QR code in the corner of a card?
It is risky. Trimming tolerance can eat the quiet zone or a corner marker on part of the print run, so leave real space around it.
Why does my printed QR code not scan when the digital one does?
Usually size, a trimmed quiet zone, or gloss lamination. All three are invisible on screen and decisive on paper.