The short answer
Print a QR code at least 2 cm (0.8 inches) wide for anything scanned from arm's length, and make it about one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from for anything further away. A poster read from 3 metres needs a code around 30 cm wide. A business card scanned at 20 cm is fine at 2 cm.
Those two rules cover most prints. The rest of this guide covers the quiet zone, how the amount of content changes the size you need, and a table of common placements.
The distance rule
Phone cameras read a QR code comfortably when it fills a reasonable part of the frame. A ratio of about 10 to 1 between scanning distance and code width is the usual rule of thumb: for every metre of distance, 10 cm of code. It is not exact. Good lighting, a sharp print and a modern phone stretch it. Glare, a busy background and a dense code shrink it.
Sizes by placement
Starting points that work in practice:
- Business card: 2 to 2.5 cm (0.8 to 1 inch). Keep the content short so the code stays simple.
- Table tent or menu: 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches).
- Flyer or leaflet: 3 to 4 cm.
- Product packaging: 2 to 3 cm, on a flat face, away from folds.
- A4 or letter poster: 5 to 8 cm.
- Shop window or A-board, scanned from the pavement: 10 to 15 cm.
- Banner or vehicle, scanned from a few metres: 25 cm and up. Follow the 10 to 1 rule.
Why less content means a smaller print
A QR code grows in squares as the content grows. A short link like hueqr.com/aB3dE makes a code of 25 squares across. A long address with tracking parameters can need 40 or more. More squares in the same printed width means smaller squares, and small squares are what cameras struggle with. That is one reason dynamic codes, which always encode a short link, scan more easily than long static ones.
If you are printing small, keep the content short or make the code dynamic.
The quiet zone is part of the size
The empty margin around the code is called the quiet zone, and readers need it to find the edges. The standard is four squares' width on every side. HueQR's generator includes it by default and lets you adjust it. If you set it to zero for a design that sits inside a frame, make sure the frame itself gives the code a clean border. A code printed hard against text or a photo fails for no visible reason.
Which file to send to the printer
For anything larger than a sticker, use SVG or PDF. They are vector files, so the squares stay crisp at any size. A PNG is pixels, and a 500 pixel PNG blown up to a poster goes soft at the edges. HueQR exports SVG and PDF for free with an account, and EPS with Pro for print shops that ask for it.
Test at the real distance
Print one copy at the final size, put it where it will live, and scan it from where people will stand. Try it in the lighting it will actually get. If it needs a second attempt, go up a size. Reprints are cheaper than a code nobody can use.
Questions
About 2 cm (0.8 inches) wide for close scanning with a short link inside. Smaller can work on new phones with a simple code, but 2 cm is the safe floor.
Next step
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