Same code, different sizes
Relative sizes of one code at common placements (not to scale on screen). All three are real codes — scan them to check.
Business card2–2.5 cm
Flyer / menu3–5 cm
A4 poster6–10 cm
The 10:1 distance rule
The most widely used rule of thumb: a QR code should be at least one-tenth as wide as the distance it will be scanned from. A code read from 30 cm away needs to be about 3 cm wide; one on a poster read from 2 m needs about 20 cm. Never print a code smaller than about 2 cm, even with very short content — phone cameras struggle to focus that close.
Print size chart
| Placement | Scan distance | Minimum width | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business card | 15–25 cm | 2–2.5 cm | 240–300 px |
| Product label, packaging | 15–30 cm | 2–3 cm | 240–360 px |
| Flyer, menu, table tent | 30–50 cm | 3–5 cm | 360–600 px |
| A4 / Letter poster | 0.5–1 m | 6–10 cm | 710–1,180 px |
| Shop window, large poster | 1–3 m | 10–30 cm | 1,180–3,540 px |
| Billboard, banner | 5 m+ | 50 cm+ | Use SVG or PDF |
Widths include the blank quiet zone around the code. For a shaped QR code (heart, circle, star…), multiply by about 1.9, because only the centre square is scannable.
Pixel sizes for screens and downloads
| Download size | Good for |
|---|---|
| 256 px | Email signatures, small web badges |
| 512 px | Websites, presentations, social posts |
| 1024 px | Documents, flyers and most office printing |
| 2048 px | Posters and large prints when the printer can't take vectors |
| Custom up to 4096 px | Very large raster prints |
| SVG / PDF | Any print size — vector, infinitely sharp |
On screens, a QR code should be at least about 150 CSS pixels wide, and never shown so close to the screen edge that its quiet zone is cut off.
Content changes how big a code must be
More data means more modules (the small squares), and more modules at the same print width means each one is smaller. A short URL produces a 25×25 grid; a full contact card can reach 57×57 or more. If your code has to be small, keep the content short: link to a page instead of encoding long text, remove tracking parameters, and use error correction M unless you add a logo.
Formats printers want
- SVG or PDF — vector files that scale to any size without blur. Best for print shops.
- PNG at 1024 px or more — for office printers and documents. Don't upscale a small PNG.
- Avoid heavy JPG compression — artefacts around module edges hurt scanning.
Read the full QR code print size guide, or learn why QR codes fail to scan.