Guide
QR Code Size for Print: Minimum Size, Contrast and Placement
How big to print a QR code, how much white margin to leave, which colors and materials scan reliably, and how to test before a print run.
Most QR codes that fail are printed too small, too close to other elements, or with too little contrast. The good news: a few simple rules prevent almost all of it.
The minimum size
For anything held in the hand — a flyer, a business card, a box, an insert — print the code at least 2 × 2 cm (0.8 × 0.8 in), not counting the white margin. Smaller codes often work on a good phone in good light, and fail everywhere else.
Go bigger when the code holds a lot of content (a long address makes more, smaller squares) or when people will scan it from further away.
The distance rule
For codes seen from a distance — posters, shop windows, booths — a common rule of thumb is that the scanning distance is about ten times the width of the code.
| Scanning distance | Minimum code width |
|---|---|
| 25 cm (10 in) | 2.5 cm (1 in) |
| 50 cm (20 in) | 5 cm (2 in) |
| 1 m (3 ft) | 10 cm (4 in) |
| 2 m (6.5 ft) | 20 cm (8 in) |
| 5 m (16 ft) | 50 cm (20 in) |
Leave the quiet zone alone
Scanners need a blank margin around the code to find its edges. The QR code standard calls it the quiet zone: at least four modules wide — a module being one of the small squares.
Don’t let text, a photo or the edge of the packaging cut into it. If the code sits on a busy background, place it on a white panel that includes the margin.
Contrast and colors
- Dark modules on a light background. Inverted codes (light on dark) are not read by every scanner.
- Keep the contrast strong. Pastel on white or dark blue on black are common failures. TrackQr checks the contrast of the colors you pick and warns you when a combination becomes risky.
- Keep logos small, around a fifth of the code’s width. A logo hides part of the pattern, which the code compensates for with error correction — a bigger logo leaves less margin for scratches and bad light.
Materials and placement
- Avoid glossy reflections right on the code: matte paper or a matte varnish scans better under shop lights.
- Stay flat. Folds, seams and tight curves (narrow bottles, cans) distort the pattern. Put the code on the flattest face.
- Think about where people stand. Posters at eye level, codes on packaging where the hand doesn’t cover them.
- Say what the scan gives. “Scan to reorder in 10 seconds” gets more scans than a code alone.
Use the right file
- Vector files (SVG or PDF) scale to any size without blur. Use them for packaging, posters and anything sent to a professional printer.
- PNG is fine for documents and small prints. For print, export enough pixels: at 300 dpi, multiply the size in centimetres by 118 (a 3 cm code needs about 354 px).
TrackQr gives you a PNG on every plan, and SVG, PDF, ZIP files and A4/Letter print sheets from the Starter plan.
Test before the full run
- Print a proof on the real material, at the real size.
- Scan it with at least two phones, iPhone and Android, using the built-in camera app.
- Scan from the expected distance and in the real lighting.
- Check that the destination is the right one — with a dynamic code, you can still fix it after printing.
Checklist
- At least 2 × 2 cm, or one tenth of the scanning distance
- Quiet zone of four modules, free of text and images
- Dark on light, strong contrast, small logo
- Flat, matte area with a clear call to action
- Vector file for the printer
- A printed proof scanned by two phones