QR code business cards: how to make one that actually gets scanned
The short answer
Your QR code appears here.
A sample code is shown. Fill in your details and it becomes yours.
Add a name, phone, or email to enable downloads.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored. Contact codes use vCard 3.0, which the iPhone and Android cameras both read without an app.
vCard or link: which kind of code to put on your card
The two kinds look the same on paper and do different jobs. A vCard code hands over your details in one step and needs nothing online, which is why print shops and free generators default to it. A link code sends people to a page, which means you can change what they find there long after the cards are printed.
| Compare | vCard QR code | Link QR code |
|---|---|---|
| What a scan does | Opens a filled-in new contact to save | Opens a web page |
| Works offline | Yes, nothing to load | No, the page has to load |
| Change it after printing | No: new details mean new cards | Yes, if you can edit the page |
| Code density | Dense: more detail, bigger print | Light: scans well when small |
| See who scanned | No | Only if the page counts visits |
| Best for | Details that will not change | Cards you print in bulk |
A simple rule: if you would be annoyed to reprint the cards when you change jobs, use a link code that opens a digital business card you can edit. If the cards are for one event or your details are fixed, the vCard code is the faster scan.
Print rules that decide whether it scans
Most failed codes are printing problems, not QR problems. Send these to whoever designs the card.
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| At least 2 cm (0.8 in) across | Smaller than that and older phones struggle, especially in a dim room. Go to 2.5 or 3 cm for a contact code with many fields. |
| A blank margin of 4 squares on every side | The QR standard calls it the quiet zone. Text or a border pressed against the code is the most common reason a printed code fails. |
| Dark code on a light background | Black or a deep brand colour on white or cream. Light on dark, metallic ink and foil often refuse to scan. |
| Matte, not gloss, over the code | Gloss and spot UV reflect light straight back into the camera at the angle people hold a card. |
| SVG to the printer, not a screenshot | A vector file stays sharp at any size. A small PNG scaled up turns the squares soft. |
| A few words next to it | “Scan to save my number” or “Scan for my portfolio”. People scan more when they know what they will get. |
Placement: the back of the card is the usual spot, bottom corner or centre, with your name and title kept on the front. Keep the code clear of the card’s edge so trimming cannot cut into the margin.
A paper card with a QR code, or a digital card with NFC
A printed card with a QR code is cheap, needs no subscription and keeps working for as long as the paper lasts. For many people that is the right answer, and the generator above is all they need. Print shops such as Vistaprint and UPrinting sell it ready made, and card apps like Wave and HiHello give you a QR code that opens their profile.
An NFC card adds a tap. The other person holds their phone near the card and your profile opens, with no camera to aim. iPhone XS and later and almost every current Android phone read NFC; for everyone else, the QR code on the same card still works.
- Choose paper and a QR code if you hand out cards occasionally and your details rarely change.
- Choose an NFC card if you meet people all week, change roles, or want to know who opened your profile.
- Choose a link code on paper if you want the editable profile without buying a new card yet.
Every bl1nk card is an NFC card with a QR code on the back, and both open your bl1nk profile, so your details can change without reprinting. A card on its own is $49 in PVC or bamboo; Pro includes one. See the NFC business cards or read how NFC business cards work.
Test it before you print 500
- Scan the download, not the screen preview. Open the PNG or SVG you downloaded and scan it with your own phone camera.
- Print one page at the real size. Print a test sheet with the code at the exact size it will be on the card, and scan the paper.
- Try an iPhone and an Android phone. Both should offer to save the contact or open the link straight from the camera.
- Try it at arm’s length and in poor light. That is how people scan at events. If it hesitates, make the code bigger or remove a field.
- Check what the scan delivers. For a vCard code, read every field of the saved contact. For a link code, open the page on mobile data, not your office Wi-Fi.
Examples that work
- A consultant’s card: name and title on the front; on the back, a 2.2 cm vCard code with “Scan to save my number” underneath.
- A property agent’s card: a link code to a profile that lists current projects, so the card stays useful when listings change.
- An exhibitor’s card for a trade show: a link code to a page with the brochure and a contact form, printed in the same run as the stand graphics.
- A conference badge or lanyard insert: the same code as the card, sized at 3 cm, because people scan badges from further away.
Want the profile behind the code without designing anything? Create a free digital business card and use its link in the generator above.
Does a QR code on a business card expire?
A static QR code never expires. Your details or your link are written into the pattern itself, so nothing can be switched off. A dynamic code from a QR service points at that service’s short link, and it stops working if the subscription ends or the company shuts it down. Read the terms before you print a few hundred cards with one.
Is a free QR code business card as good as a paid one?
For scanning, yes: phones read a free static code exactly as well as a paid one. What you pay for is the ability to change where the code goes after printing and to count scans. If your details rarely change, the free code is enough. If they will change, put a link to a page you control behind the code instead.
Can I edit a QR code after I print it?
Not a static one. A vCard QR code carries your details inside the image, so a new phone number means a new code and new cards. A link QR code can lead somewhere new only if the page it opens is one you can edit, such as your digital business card. That is the reason to choose a link code for anything you print in bulk.
What size should a QR code be on a business card?
At least 2 cm (about 0.8 inches) across, with a blank margin around it. A contact code that holds a lot of detail needs more room, around 2.5 to 3 cm. A link code is simpler, so it scans well at the smaller size.
Should the QR code go on the front or the back of the card?
Most people put it on the back, with a few words saying what it does, such as “Scan to save my number”. The front stays clean for your name and logo. If the card is mainly a way to reach your profile, a code on the front with your name next to it works too.
Do people need an app to scan a business card QR code?
No. The camera apps on iPhone and Android read QR codes on their own, including contact (vCard) codes, which open a ready-filled new contact. Older Android phones may need Google Lens, which is built into most of them.
