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QR codes on business cards: what to encode and how big to print
A QR code on a business card can save your contact details in one tap, or open your portfolio or LinkedIn profile. This guide covers what to encode, how big to print it, and which styles hold up at card size.
What should your QR code link to?
- A vCard QR code — encodes your name, phone, email, and website directly into the code. When scanned, it prompts the user to save you as a contact. No URL required, works offline. Best for anyone in a customer-facing role.
- Your personal website or portfolio — a simple URL. Best for designers, developers, consultants, photographers.
- Your LinkedIn profile — best for corporate professionals who use LinkedIn as their primary professional identity.
- A link-in-bio page (Linktree, Carrd, etc.) — one link to all your profiles and booking links. Best for freelancers with multiple channels.
Tip: avoid encoding long LinkedIn URLs — they create very dense QR codes that can fail to scan. Use your LinkedIn custom URL (linkedin.com/in/yourname). A third-party link shortener adds a redirect you do not control, which is the opposite of what a printed card needs.
Size and placement
A business card is about 85 × 55 mm in most of Europe and 3.5 × 2 in (89 × 51 mm) in the US, and it is read in the hand, at 25–30 cm, so the one-tenth rule from the print-size guide asks for a code 2.5–3 cm wide. Next to a name, a logo and contact lines, that space is tight, which makes what you encode the real decision. Each vCard field adds modules:
| What the code holds | Bytes | Version · modules (level H) | Module at 20 mm | at 25 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and phone | 101 | v10 · 57 | 0.31 mm | 0.38 mm |
| 147 | v12 · 65 | 0.27 mm | 0.34 mm | |
| + company | 167 | v13 · 69 | 0.26 mm | 0.32 mm |
| + website | 203 | v15 · 77 | 0.24 mm | 0.29 mm |
| A link instead (personal site) | 32 | v4 · 33 | 0.49 mm | 0.61 mm |
A full card at 20 mm gives modules of 0.24 mm, half the width of a short link's. If the card already prints your phone number and email, a vCard with just your name and number, or a short link to a page you own, scans more easily from the same space.
Back of card: the cleanest option. The back is usually blank, giving the QR code space to breathe without competing with your name and contact details.
Bottom corner of front: common in tech and design. Works well if you keep the front uncluttered. Place it in the lower right with a small label like "Scan to connect".
Choosing the right shape
Reliable for print: square and rounded modules. The shape changes how each module is drawn, not how much the code holds.
Test carefully first: dots, diamonds, hearts and stars. They leave less ink in each module, and not every decoder reads them. The generator warns when you pick a heart, star, hexagon or diamond; dots get no warning, so test them the same way. At business-card size, scan a printed proof before ordering a run; if it fails, regenerate with square modules, which hold exactly the same data.
Colour and contrast
The QR modules must contrast strongly with the background. About 4:1 is the working floor, the threshold this site's generator uses for its theme palettes. Dark navy or charcoal on white works well; light grey on white will fail. Avoid inverted colours (light modules on a dark background): not every reader decodes a light code on a dark field. Why a QR code won't scan explains.
Watch out: gold foil, metallic inks, and glossy lamination can cause reflection that prevents scanning. If your card uses these finishes, place the QR code in a matte area or use a matte lamination patch.
Download as SVG for printing
Always download your QR code as SVG when sending to a print shop. PNG files are pixel-based and will look blurry if scaled up. SVG is vector-based and prints sharply at any size — from a tiny card to a poster.
Your details go in the code itself, so there is no link to keep alive.
Make a contact QR code →