How big should a QR code be?
The short answer: at least one tenth of the distance people will scan it from, and never smaller than 0.8 in (2 cm). Our size checker does the math for you, border included. Enter where the code will go, and it gives you the smallest width that should scan.
Open the size checker · free, no account. Enter your link in the maker first, then choose the scan distance and print width. For the PDF, EPS and print sheet, if you leave the width empty, we use the smallest size that scans well from the distance you picked.
The rule in one line
Make the code itself (without its border) at least one tenth of the scan distance. Never make it smaller than 0.8 in (2 cm), and keep every dot at least 0.7 mm wide.
All three apply at once, so the biggest of them wins. Up close, the 0.8 in (2 cm) floor or the dot size usually decides. From across a room, the distance does.
Size chart by use
These are the smallest sizes for a code that holds a short link, such as an editable ovbq code. The plain border around it (printers call it the quiet zone) comes on top.
| Use | Where people scan it | Scan distance | Smallest code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business card, flyer, label | In the hand | 1 ft (30 cm) | 1.2 in (3 cm) |
| Table tent, menu, counter card | On a table or counter | 1.5 ft (45 cm) | 1.8 in (4.5 cm) |
| Poster, window | On a wall or window | 6 ft (1.8 m) | 7.1 in (18 cm) |
| Yard sign, storefront sign | On a sign from the sidewalk | 16 ft (5 m) | 19.7 in (50 cm) |
With the border included, the printed width is a little more. For example, at 1.5 ft (45 cm) the checker asks for at least 2.4 in (6 cm) in all, so that the code itself is at least 1.8 in (4.5 cm).
More content needs more room
A QR code holds its content in dots. The more it holds, the more dots it has, and the smaller each one gets at the same size. Since each dot needs to be at least 0.7 mm, a busy code needs more room than the chart shows. A contact card with every field filled in is so dense that our checker wants dots of at least 0.9 mm, so it needs at least 2.2 in (5.5 cm), even in the hand.
Two ways to print smaller:
- Hold less. For a contact card, keep just your name, phone and email.
- Use an editable code. It holds only a short link, so it has fewer, bigger dots, whatever page it opens.
A logo also raises the code's strength, which adds dots. The checker allows for that too.
Pixels for a PNG
For print, a PNG needs about 300 pixels per inch: multiply the width in inches by 300. A 2 in code needs a PNG 600 pixels wide. When you enter a print width, we make the PNG at 300 pixels per inch for you, up to about 16 in wide (8 in with a logo, 10.7 in with a dot style, a gradient or a frame). For anything bigger, or for a print shop, use the SVG or PDF, which stay sharp at any size.
Before you print many
Print one copy at the final size, and scan it from the real distance with two phones, one of them older. If it's slow to scan, print it bigger or make the content shorter.
Related: How to print QR codes that scan · Which file to use · A QR code for your business card · Why a QR code won't scan
Check your size
Make your code in the free maker, pick the scan distance and enter the width: the checker beside the preview says if it's big enough.