What Size Should a QR Code Be? US Print Size Guide

The right size for a QR code depends on one thing more than anything else: how far away people will be when they scan it. Get that right, keep a clean white border around the code, and almost any phone will read it.

The 10-to-1 rule

A reliable rule of thumb is that a QR code should be about one tenth as wide as the scanning distance.

• Scanned from 10 inches (a business card in someone’s hand): about 1 inch wide
• Scanned from 3 feet (a poster on a wall next to a counter): about 3.5 inches wide
• Scanned from 10 feet (a window sign seen from the sidewalk): about 12 inches wide

Our generator has a small calculator under the download buttons that does this math for you. Type the distance in feet and it tells you the minimum width.

QR code size chart for common prints

Where it’s printed	Typical scan distance	Recommended code width
Business card	6–10 in	0.8–1 in (2–2.5 cm)
Flyer or postcard	10–15 in	1.25–1.5 in (3–4 cm)
Table tent or menu	12–20 in	1.5–2 in (4–5 cm)
Product packaging	8–12 in	0.8–1.25 in (2–3 cm)
Letter-size poster (8.5 × 11 in)	2–3 ft	3–4 in (8–10 cm)
Door or window sign	3–6 ft	4–7 in (10–18 cm)
Yard sign or banner	6–10 ft	7–12 in (18–30 cm)

These are starting points for simple codes, like a short website link. Codes that hold more information need more room (see below). If people might scan from farther away than you expect, go bigger. A larger code is always easier to scan than a smaller one.

Why some codes need more room

Every QR code is a grid of small squares called modules. The more information you put in a code, the more modules it needs, and the smaller each module becomes at the same print size.

• A short website address makes a simple code with large modules. It can be printed small.
• A contact card (vCard) with a name, phone, email, address and website makes a dense code. It needs to be printed larger to scan as easily.
• Adding a logo in the middle covers some modules. The code still works because of built-in error correction, but it leaves less margin for smudges and poor light.

A practical limit is about half a millimeter per module. That’s why a simple link can go down to 0.8 inch, while a full contact card needs about 1.5 inches. Our generator does this math for you: under the downloads it shows the smallest size for your exact code, and it warns you if the PDF size you picked is too small.

If our generator warns that your code is dense, either remove content you don’t need (for example, tracking parameters on a link) or plan for a bigger print.

Don’t trim the quiet zone

Phones find a QR code by looking for the empty border around it, called the quiet zone. It should be at least four modules wide on every side. Every code you download from KeptLink already includes it.

When you place the code in your design:

• keep the white border, and don’t let text, photos or other artwork run into it
• don’t place the code over a busy or dark background without its white border
• if you crop the image, crop outside the border, never inside it

Print sharp, then test

Use SVG or PDF files for printing. They’re vector files, so they stay crisp at any size. If you have to use PNG, download the 1024 or 2048 pixel version so it isn’t blurry when printed at 2 inches or more. Our PDF downloads come at exact 1, 2 and 3 inch widths, which makes it easy to print at the right size.

Before you print hundreds of copies, print one at the final size and scan it with a couple of phones, including an older one if you can, at the distance your customers will use.