What Is a QR Code Quiet Zone?

What It Is

A module is one of the small squares that make up a QR code. The quiet zone is a border four of those squares wide, on every side, with nothing printed in it. It has to be a plain, light colour. The scanner uses it to separate the code from whatever it is printed on or next to.

Why Scanners Need It

A scanner locates a code by finding its three corner squares and the pattern of dark and light around them. Printed text, a photograph or a coloured edge touching the code looks like more code, and the scanner cannot find the boundary. The code is then not read at all. Because the failure is in finding the code and not in reading it, error correction cannot repair it.

Size in Practice

The size is counted in modules, so it grows with the code. A 29 module code printed 20 mm wide has modules of about 0.7 mm, which puts the quiet zone at roughly 2.8 mm on each side. More data means more modules and a smaller quiet zone for a given print size. A short link keeps the grid coarse.

Dark Codes on Dark Backgrounds

The quiet zone has to be light, because scanners expect dark modules on a light field. A code placed directly on a dark or busy background has no quiet zone however much empty space is around it. The usual fix is to put the code on a light panel, which is why codes are often seen on a white square.

Frequently asked questions

How big should the quiet zone around a QR code be?

Four modules on every side, where a module is one small square of the code. A smaller margin often still scans, but four is the specified minimum.

Can I print a QR code on a coloured background?

Place it on a light panel that includes the quiet zone. A code touching a dark or patterned background may not scan.

Does error correction make up for a missing quiet zone?

No. Error correction repairs damaged data inside the code. It cannot help a scanner that failed to find the code.

Keep reading

Related terms

QR Code Error CorrectionError correction is redundancy built into a QR code so it still reads when part of it is dirty, damaged or covered. QR codes carry one of four levels, from roughly seven per cent of the code recoverable up to around thirty per cent.QR Code ScanningQR code scanning is the act of pointing a phone camera at a QR code so the phone reads the pattern and acts on what it holds, usually by offering to open a web address. Modern iPhones and Android phones do this in the built-in camera app, with no separate scanner required.Safe ZoneThe safe zone is the margin inside the cut line of a printed card where text and logos must stay clear, because cutting is never perfectly exact. It is the opposite of bleed: bleed runs outwards past the cut, while the safe zone holds important content back from it. A margin of 3 to 5 mm is typical.QR CodeA QR code (Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional barcode, a square grid of dark and light modules, that stores text such as a web address and can be read by a phone camera. Unlike a traditional barcode it holds data in both directions and still scans when partly damaged or obscured.

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