Best QR Code Sizes for Print and Packaging
Print a QR code too small and no one can scan it. Here is how to size codes for posters, packaging and business cards.
The distance rule
The most useful guideline is the ten-to-one ratio: the scanning distance should be no more than about ten times the width of the code. A code two centimetres wide scans comfortably at around twenty centimetres; a poster meant to be scanned from three metres needs a code roughly thirty centimetres across.
Work backwards from how far away your reader will stand, and size the code accordingly.
Practical minimums
- •Business cards and labels: around 2 cm (0.8 in) wide as a floor.
- •Flyers and product packaging: 2.5 to 3 cm.
- •Posters scanned from a metre or two: 5 to 10 cm.
- •Billboards and signage: scale up to keep the distance ratio.
Keep the content small
A long URL produces a denser grid of smaller modules, which needs a physically larger code to stay scannable. Shorten the destination where you can, a tidy path scans better than a sprawling query string.
Respect the quiet zone
A QR code needs an empty margin around it, traditionally at least four modules wide. Crowding the code against text or a border is one of the most common reasons a printed code fails to scan.
Proof on the final material
Matte stock, glossy packaging and curved surfaces all behave differently. Print a proof on the real material and scan it before signing off on a production run.