How big should a QR code be?
Common reasons a printed QR code will not scan are insufficient size, missing quiet space around the code, and poor contrast. Here is how to get all three right.
Short answer
Print the QR code at roughly one tenth of the distance people will scan it from — a 2 m distance wants about a 20 cm code — then check it at the real size, on the real material, with a phone. It is a rule of thumb for planning, not something the QR standard demands.Work out the size
Enter how far away people will be when they scan, and this gives you the printed size the QR code needs to be.
Minimum
30.0 cm
0.98 ft square
Recommended
37.5 cm
1.23 ft square
Minimum is the 10:1 rule — a tenth of the scanning distance. Recommended adds margin for dense content, logos, imperfect printing and bad lighting. Both are the size of the QR code itself — the white border goes outside them.
The 10:1 rule
The planning rule widely used in print work is that a QR code should be at least one tenth as wide as the distance it is scanned from. Scanning from two meters means a code at least 20 cm across. Treat this as a planning rule — the real limit depends on how many modules the code has, the camera, the lighting and the print quality — then test the QR code at its actual printed size and scanning distance.
| Where it goes | Typical distance | Minimum size | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business card | 20 cm / 8 in | 2 cm / 0.8 in | 2.5 cm / 1 in |
| Product label or packaging | 30 cm / 12 in | 3 cm / 1.2 in | 4 cm / 1.6 in |
| Menu or flyer | 40 cm / 16 in | 4 cm / 1.6 in | 5 cm / 2 in |
| Table tent or counter card | 60 cm / 2 ft | 6 cm / 2.4 in | 7.5 cm / 3 in |
| Wall poster | 2 m / 6.5 ft | 20 cm / 8 in | 25 cm / 10 in |
| Shop window | 3 m / 10 ft | 30 cm / 12 in | 38 cm / 15 in |
| Yard or estate agent sign | 5 m / 16 ft | 50 cm / 20 in | 63 cm / 25 in |
| Billboard | 20 m / 65 ft | 2 m / 6.5 ft | 2.5 m / 8 ft |
Increase the size when people will be moving past the code — a bus shelter, a passing vehicle, an escalator — or when the QR code contains a logo, dense content, or heavily customized shapes.
Leave a border around it
The blank space around a QR code is not just breathing room — a phone uses it to work out where the code starts and stops. Keep text, images, and page edges out of the quiet zone around the QR code. Cropping this margin can prevent scanners from detecting the code.
Leave a gap of about four squares on every side — roughly a tenth of a typical QR code’s width. Every download from this site already includes it.
Contrast
Scanners look for dark modules on a light background. Three rules cover almost everything:
- Dark on light, not the other way round. Light QR codes on a dark background are perfectly legal, and plenty of phones still refuse to read them. This site warns you if you flip them.
- Keep real contrast. Aim for a ratio of at least 4:1 between the two colors. Avoid low-contrast combinations such as pastel colors on white, especially for printed codes used in variable lighting.
- Avoid red as the dark color. Some older laser scanners read in a red wavelength and simply cannot see it. Less of an issue for phone cameras, but it costs nothing to avoid.
Never print a QR code over a photograph or a gradient. If it must sit on busy artwork, put it on a solid panel with its quiet zone intact.
Printing
- Use the SVG. It is vector, so there is no resolution to get wrong and it stays sharp at any size. This matters most for large-format work, where a stretched PNG turns crisp edges into soft gray.
- If you use a raster image, make sure it provides about 300 DPI at the final printed dimensions.
- Watch for ink spread on absorbent stock. On uncoated paper, cardboard and fabric, ink bleeds and thin light gaps close up. Print larger than the calculator suggests for those materials.
- Avoid gloss and lamination where you can. Specular glare across a QR code defeats a camera completely. Matte finishes scan far more reliably.
Test the real thing
Print a proof at final size on the intended material and test it with multiple phones at the expected distance and lighting. This catches ink spread, glare and simple sizing mistakes before you commit to a print run.
If you are customizing colors or adding a logo, the logo generator decodes the finished image and tells you whether it still reads before you download it. That catches the digital half of the problem; only a printed proof catches the rest.
Common questions
What is the minimum size for a QR code?
About 2 cm (0.8 in) square is the practical floor for a code held in the hand at around 20 cm. Below that, the individual modules approach the resolving limit of a phone camera at close focus. For anything scanned from further away, use the 10:1 rule: the code should be at least a tenth as wide as the scanning distance.
Why won't my QR code scan?
In rough order of frequency: it is too small for the distance, it has no quiet zone, the contrast is too low or inverted, the print resolution blurred the dots together, or the content is so long that the dots are finer than the camera can pick out. Size and quiet zone account for most real-world failures.
What resolution should I export for print?
Use the SVG. It is a vector, so it stays perfectly sharp at any size and there is no resolution to get wrong. If a raster file is required, export a PNG at 300 DPI for the final printed dimensions — 1024 px covers a code up to about 8 cm, and 2048 px covers a poster.
Related tools and guides
- Free QR code generatorCreate static QR codes for websites, Wi-Fi, contact cards, Google reviews and plain text. Free, no signup or watermark, generated privately in your browser.
- QR code generator with a logoAdd your logo to a QR code and see proof it still scans. We decode the finished image before enabling the download, so you never print a dead code.
- Static vs dynamic QR codesWhat actually differs between static and dynamic QR codes, who each one suits, and why 'your QR code expired' is almost never about the code itself.