How to put a QR code on a business card
Decide what the code should do: save your details straight to a phone's contacts (a vCard QR code) or open a web page. Make the code, download it as SVG or PDF, place it at least 2 cm wide with a white margin, and test a printed proof before you order.
3 September 2026
vCard or link: choose what the code does
A QR code business card can work in two ways, and the choice affects the size of the code and what you can change later.
- A vCard QR code holds your name, phone, email, company and website inside the code. Scanning it shows an Add to contacts option on iPhone and Android, with no internet needed. The downside: more details make a denser code, and nothing can be changed after printing.
- A link QR code opens a page, such as your website's contact page, a LinkedIn profile or a digital business card. The code stays small and simple, and you can change the page whenever you like. The downside: people have to save your details themselves, and the page has to stay online.
- A good middle path is a short vCard with just name, phone, email and website. It saves in one tap and still scans easily at business card size.
How to create a QR code for a business card
- Open a business card QR code generator and choose Contact card for a vCard, or Link for a web page.
- Fill in only what someone needs to reach you. Skip the fax number and the second address.
- Pick your colours and a dot style that fits your card. Keep the code darker than its background.
- Add your logo if you want one. The generator raises error correction so the code still scans, and warns you if the design becomes unreliable.
- Download as SVG or PDF. Both are vector files, so the code stays sharp at any size.
- Place the file in your card design in Canva, Word, InDesign or your printer's template.
Size and placement on the card
A standard business card is about 85 by 55 mm, so space is tight. Make the QR code 2 to 2.5 cm wide. Smaller than 2 cm and older phones struggle, especially with a vCard, which has more modules to read.
Leave a white border, the quiet zone, around the code on all sides. Around four modules, or 3 to 4 mm at this size, is right. Do not let text, a border line or the card edge crowd it.
The back of the card is the usual home, either centred with a short label or in a corner beside your details. Put a few words next to it, such as "Scan to save my contact", so people know it is not decoration.
Print specifications that keep it scannable
- Use SVG or PDF from the generator, not a screenshot or a small PNG. Blurry edges cause most failed scans on printed cards.
- Dark code on a light background. Light codes on dark cards (inverted) do not scan on every phone.
- Avoid foil, spot UV, embossing or textured stock over the code. Shine and bumps confuse cameras.
- Keep it away from folds, rounded corners and the trim line, where it can be cut.
- If your printer converts to CMYK, check that a black code has not turned into a washed-out grey.
- Matt finishes scan more reliably than glossy ones.
Test before you print 500 cards
Ask your printer for a proof, or print one card at home at the real size. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, in normal indoor light, from about 20 cm away. For a vCard, go as far as the Add to contacts screen and check every field landed in the right place: phone numbers with the country code, the email spelt correctly, the website opening.
If it hesitates, remove a field or two from the vCard, make the code a little larger, or increase the contrast. A code that scans slowly on your phone will fail for someone else.
Digital business cards and a QR code on your phone
A digital QR code business card is simply the same code kept on your phone. Save the PNG to your photos and add it to your favourites, or set it as your lock screen, and people can scan it at an event when you have run out of cards. It works offline because the details are in the code.
Many digital business card apps host a profile page for you and charge a monthly fee to keep it online. That is fine if you want their extras, but it is not needed for a QR code contact card. A static vCard code is free, does not expire and does not depend on anyone's server.
If you change jobs or numbers, make a new code and replace the image on your phone. Printed cards need reprinting either way, since the name and number printed next to the code will be out of date too.
