QR Code Size Guide: Minimum Sizes for Print & Screens

Why QR size matters more than people think

A QR code can be perfectly generated and still fail in the real world if it’s too small. When scanning fails, users rarely try more than once—so size directly affects conversion.

Size interacts with distance, camera quality, and QR density. A simple URL QR can scan smaller than a long vCard. A poster QR needs to be larger than a business card QR.

This guide gives practical size rules you can apply quickly.

The 10× distance rule (easy to remember)

A common practical rule is: scanning distance ≈ 10 × QR code size. If someone scans from 30 cm away, a ~3 cm QR is a starting point.

If the QR is on a wall poster and people scan from 1 meter away, you may need a 10 cm QR or larger.

This is not physics-level exact, but it’s a solid real-world guideline. Always test in your environment.

Quiet zone: the margin you must not remove

The quiet zone is the empty space around the QR code. Scanners use it to detect the boundaries of the code.

If you crop the QR tightly, place it against a noisy background, or put a frame too close, scanning becomes slower or fails entirely.

As a rule, keep a generous margin and avoid design elements that touch the QR modules.

A safe layout pattern

Place the QR inside a white container box on busy backgrounds. Add a CTA below the box rather than overlaying text on the code.

Print vs screen: different problems

On screens, the main issues are glare, moiré patterns, and low brightness. On print, the main issues are ink bleed, texture, and low contrast on colored paper.

If the QR will be scanned from a phone screen, keep the background solid and increase brightness. If it will be printed, choose matte materials and avoid very thin lines or low-contrast colors.

If you must print on dark surfaces, invert carefully: make the code light on a dark background only if your target scanners handle it. Dark-on-light is still safest.

QR density: why long data needs bigger codes

The more information you encode, the denser the QR pattern becomes. Dense patterns require more camera resolution to decode.

That’s why a short URL can be small, but a long paragraph of text or a full vCard might need a larger code—especially after printing.

If you need to encode a long URL, consider using a short redirect you control. It reduces density and improves scan speed.

Testing checklist before you publish

• Scan from the expected distance (not only close-up).
• Scan in bright light and in typical indoor light.
• Test on both Android and iPhone if your audience is mixed.
• If printed, test from the real print (not only a digital preview).
• If using a logo, use higher error correction and consider increasing size.

Use Generate to create the QR and Scan to validate it quickly in the same browser.

Key takeaways

• Use the 10× rule: distance ≈ 10 × QR size.
• Keep the quiet zone; don’t crop tightly or frame too close.
• Dense QR data needs bigger printed sizes for reliable scanning.
• Print and screen environments have different failure modes (glare vs ink/texture).
• Test in real conditions across devices before publishing.

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