How to print a QR code that scans
A code that scans on screen can still fail on paper: printed too small, too faint, with its border trimmed, or from a blurry file. Here's how to get it right before you order hundreds.
Updated
How big to print it
Print the code at least a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from: read from 10 ft (3 m) away, it needs to be at least 12 in (30 cm) wide. Never go below 0.8 in (2 cm), even on a business card.
| Where | Scanned from | Print it at least |
|---|---|---|
| Business card, label or tag | In the hand | 0.8 in (2 cm) wide |
| Flyer, menu or table tent | About 1 ft (30 cm) | 1.2 in (3 cm) wide |
| Poster or shop window | 3 to 6 ft (1 to 2 m) | 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) wide |
| Sign or banner | 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) | 12 to 20 in (30 to 50 cm) wide |
Codes that hold more are denser and need printing bigger. A dynamic code holds only a short link, so it stays simple. Each code's page here shows the smallest size for that design.
Which file to download
| File | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| SVG | Vector: sharp at any size | Designers and print shops; Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity, Canva |
| Vector, on a page cut to the code at the width you pick (1 to 12 in) | Sending straight to a print shop, or placing in a layout | |
| PNG | An image, 600 to 4,800 pixels wide, marked 300 dpi | Word, Google Docs, slides, websites and social posts |
For a PNG, pick 300 pixels for every inch you'll print: a 2 in code needs 600 pixels. Never enlarge a small image or a screenshot. It blurs, and blurred squares stop scanning.
Contrast and color
- Dark squares on a light background, with a contrast of at least 4:1.
- Avoid light squares on a dark background. Some phones and scanner apps can't read them.
- On colored or patterned packaging, keep a plain light box behind the code.
- Foil, metallic ink, embossing and clear plastic often reflect too much light. Test them before a full run.
- Under bright lights, matte paper and matte lamination beat gloss.
Keep the blank border
The empty margin around a code, called the quiet zone, is how a phone finds where the code starts. The standard asks for four squares' width on every side. Our downloads include it unless you narrow the border in the style options: don't crop it off, and don't let text, lines or photos crowd into it.
Keep codes off folds, seams and tight curves too, which bend the squares out of line.
Test before the full run
Print one at the real size, on the real material
A home printer is fine for checking size. For special papers or finishes, ask the print shop for a proof.
Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone
From the real distance, in the light where it'll be used.
Check where it goes
For a link, make sure the page opens on mobile data, not just on your Wi-Fi.
Then order
With a dynamic code you can still change the link after printing. You can't change its size or contrast.
Tell people what they'll get
A label such as "Scan for the menu" or "Join our Wi-Fi" tells people why to scan, and our frames add one in your own words. Under a dynamic code, print its short link too (makemyqrcodes.com/your-ending), for anyone whose camera won't scan. For logos and colors, see putting your logo in a QR code.