How to put a QR code on a business card
A QR code on a business card can save your details straight to someone's phone. Contact card or link, how small it can print and the mistakes that stop it scanning.
A business card with a QR code saves the person you give it to from typing your name, number and email into their phone and from typing one of them wrong. Done well, it takes a tap to save you as a contact. Done badly, it is a smudge that does nothing.
Contact card or link
A contact card code (vCard) holds your details directly. Scanning it opens the phone’s new-contact screen with everything filled in. It works without internet and never goes out of date as long as your details don’t change.
A link code opens a web page, such as a profile, portfolio or booking page. It can hold far more and be updated without reprinting, but only if the page is on a site you control, as explained in how to make a QR code for a link.
For most people, the contact card is the better fit. The contact card QR code page takes your name, organisation, title, phone, email, website and address.
Keep the card code small and simple
Every field makes the code denser and a dense code has to print larger. Name, one phone number, email and website is plenty. Leave out fax numbers, second addresses and anything people rarely need. The generator shows the minimum print size as you type and on a card around 2 to 2.5 centimetres is typical.
Printing it well
- Send the SVG to the printer, so it is sharp at any size.
- Keep a white margin around the code, at least four of its small squares wide. A code printed right up to a busy design often fails.
- Keep it dark on light. Brand colours are fine if there is strong contrast.
- Avoid glossy finishes over the code if possible; glare can defeat a phone camera.
Test the printed proof
Before ordering a box, scan the physical proof with an iPhone and an Android phone and save the contact. Check each field landed in the right place. A transposed digit printed on five hundred cards is an expensive typo.
Other codes worth printing
The same generator makes codes for WiFi, email and SMS. A card on a meeting-room wall that joins the guest network is covered in how to share your WiFi with a QR code.
Common questions
Should the code hold my contact details or a link?
A contact card code saves your details directly to the phone, with no internet needed. A link code opens a web page, which can hold far more and be updated. Contact cards suit most people; a link suits a portfolio or booking page.
How small can the code be on a card?
Around 2 to 2.5 centimetres wide for a contact card with a few fields, printed sharply. More fields make a denser code that needs to be larger. The generator shows the minimum for your code.
Can I use my brand colours?
Yes, as long as the code stays clearly darker than its background. Light codes on dark backgrounds fail on many phones. The generator warns when contrast is too low.
What file should I send to the printer?
The SVG. It stays perfectly sharp at any size, which matters because printers work at a much higher resolution than screens.