What Size Should a QR Code Be for Printing?

The working rule is that a QR code should be about one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A code read at 30 cm needs to be roughly 3 cm across; one read at 2 metres needs about 20 cm. The practical minimum is 2 cm regardless of distance.

The distance rule

Scanning distance divided by ten gives you the minimum width. It is a rule of thumb, not a standard, but it is derived from the resolution ordinary phone cameras achieve and it holds up well in practice. Add a margin if your audience skews older, since minimum focus distance worsens with cheaper and older phones.

Sizes for common uses

Business card: 2–2.5 cm. Restaurant table card: 3–4 cm. A4 poster read from a metre: 10 cm. Shop window read from two metres: 20 cm. Billboard read from ten metres: a full metre. Vehicle livery is the one people underestimate most — a code on a van door read from three metres wants to be 30 cm.

Why 2 cm is the floor

Below that, individual modules on a dense code fall under the size a phone camera can resolve at its minimum focus distance. A short URL in a version 2 code might survive at 1.5 cm; a vCard will not. If you are stuck with a small space, shorten the content rather than shrinking the code.

Use vector for print

Download the SVG, not the PNG. A PNG has a fixed pixel grid and softens when enlarged; an SVG is mathematically sharp at any size, which matters most at the edges of modules where scanners look for transitions. Every generator on this site exports both.

Test before you commit to a print run

Print one at final size, on the final material, and scan it with the cheapest Android phone you can find in the light the code will actually live in. Testing on a new iPhone under office lighting tells you almost nothing about a laminated card in a dim restaurant.

Check a link before you trust it

Anyone can print a QR code and stick it over yours. TrustScan reads the address and runs 21 checks on it before the page opens — free, offline, and on every scan. Try the checker or get the app.

Create a QR code and download the SVG