A QR code on a visiting card: size, placement and print rules
How big to print it, in millimetres, how much white space it needs, and why a short link beats packing your details into the code - from the rules of DENSO WAVE, which created the QR code.
Print the QR code as large as the card allows, with a white margin four modules wide on every side. DENSO WAVE recommends each module be at least four printer dots: 0.33 mm at 300 dpi, 0.17 mm at 600 dpi. Put a short link in the code, not your full details - a short link needs 29 modules a side, a full contact card 61. Test the printed card on two phones before a full run.
Sources: DENSO WAVE, DENSO WAVE
Will your QR code print well in the space you have?
Type what the code will hold and how much space it gets on the card. The calculator builds the code the same way the Beeps QR tools do, counts its modules, and checks the module size against DENSO WAVE's four-dot rule. It runs in your browser.
29 x 29 modules
Version 3, plus a 4-module margin on every side.
Each module will be 0.54 mm - above DENSO's four-dot minimum for a 300 dpi printer (0.33 mm).
Smallest size that meets the four-dot rule, margin included: 12.2 mm at 300 dpi, 6.3 mm at 600 dpi. Bigger scans more easily.
What decides whether a printed QR code scans
Each rule is from DENSO WAVE, which released the QR code in 1994 and still publishes its guidance.
A module is one of the small squares. DENSO says the larger it is, the more stable and easier to read the code becomes, and recommends printing as large as the space allows. Its rule for printers is at least four dots per module: 0.17 mm on a 600 dpi laser, 0.33 mm at 300 dpi.
A QR code needs a quiet zone four modules wide on every side - plain background, nothing printed in it. Crop it, or run a pattern up to the edge of the code, and scanners struggle.
Version 1 is 21 x 21 modules, and each higher version adds 4 modules per side, up to 177 x 177. More data means a higher version - so in the same space, every module gets smaller.
Four levels let a code recover from dirt or damage. DENSO says level M (15%) is most frequently selected; higher levels recover more but make the code bigger.
DENSO gives module sizes for printers and its own scanners; it does not publish one for phone cameras, which vary. That is why the last step is always a test with real phones.
Put a link in the code, not your whole contact card
We encoded both with the same encoder and the usual error correction level (M), then worked out the smallest printed size that meets DENSO's four-dot rule at 300 dpi.
| What the code holds | Modules a side | Smallest size at 300 dpi |
|---|---|---|
| A profile link (31 characters) | Modules a side29 (version 3) | Smallest size at 300 dpi12.2 mm |
| A contact card with name, company, title, phone, email, address and website (247 characters) | Modules a side61 (version 11) | Smallest size at 300 dpi22.8 mm |
The contact card also freezes your details on the day you print. Change your number and every card in circulation is wrong. A link opens a page you can edit, so the printed code never goes out of date.
That page is what a Beeps profile is: one link, in the QR code and in the NFC chip, that you update from your dashboard. The WhatsApp and UPI QR tools follow the same print rules.
Where the code goes on the card
- Give it a side of its own if you can. The back of the card leaves room for the size and margin the rules ask for.
- Dark modules on a light background. Keep the contrast high, and do not print the code over a photo or pattern.
- Clear of edges, folds and rounded corners. The margin has to survive trimming.
- A few words beside it. "Scan for my profile" tells people what they will get before they reach for the camera.
- Test the printed proof. Scan it with two different phones at arm's length before approving the full run.
QR code printing questions
What size should a QR code be on a visiting card?
As large as the space allows. DENSO WAVE, which created the QR code, recommends each module be at least four printer dots - 0.33 mm on a 300 dpi printer - and a white margin four modules wide around the code. A short profile link at that module size needs about 12.2 mm square including the margin; print it bigger if you can.
Sources: DENSO WAVE, DENSO WAVE
Should the QR code hold my contact details or a link?
A link. A full contact card packed into the code needs 61 modules a side against 29 for a short link, so it has to be printed bigger to scan as reliably - and it cannot be changed after printing. A link opens a page you can edit any time.
Sources: DENSO WAVE
Which error correction level should I use?
DENSO says level M (15%) is the one most often chosen. Higher levels such as Q and H recover more damage but add modules, so the code gets bigger. On a clean printed card, M is a sensible default.
Sources: DENSO WAVE
Can I put a logo in the middle of the QR code?
A logo covers modules, and the code then relies on error correction to rebuild them. If you do it, use a higher error correction level, keep the logo small, and test the printed card on several phones - never assume.
Sources: DENSO WAVE
Does a QR code on an NFC card still matter?
Yes. Phones without NFC, or with NFC switched off, open the same profile by scanning the printed code, so it is the fallback that makes the card work for everyone.
Sources
The QR code rules come from DENSO WAVE, which created the QR code, as published on its own site. Each was read on the date shown.
- DENSO WAVE, Point for setting the module size. Checked .
- DENSO WAVE, Point for determining the code area. Checked .
- DENSO WAVE, History of QR Code. Checked .
- DENSO WAVE, Information capacity and versions of QR Code. Checked .
- DENSO WAVE, Error correction feature. Checked .