What Size Should a QR Code Be? A Print Guide
Print a QR code too small and it won’t scan. Here’s a simple rule for sizing codes on everything from business cards to billboards.
Published February 17, 2026 · LinkQRPro
The most common reason a printed QR code fails isn’t a fancy design or a broken link — it’s simply that the code was printed too small for the distance people scan it from. Get the size right and most other problems disappear.
The 10-to-1 rule
A reliable rule of thumb: a QR code should be at least one-tenth as wide as the distance it will be scanned from. Scanning from about 30 cm away, like a flyer in someone’s hand? The code needs to be roughly 3 cm across. On a poster read from 3 metres, it should be about 30 cm. When you’re unsure, round up — a slightly larger code never hurts, but a slightly small one fails.
Rough sizes for common uses
- Business card: around 1.5–2 cm — small, but people hold it close.
- Flyer or brochure: about 2–3 cm.
- Product packaging: 1.5–3 cm depending on the surface.
- Table tent or counter card: around 3–5 cm.
- Poster: 5 cm and up, scaled to viewing distance.
- Billboard or large signage: as big as the layout allows — think in tens of centimetres.
Two things that matter as much as size
First, protect the quiet zone — the empty margin around the code. Cropping right to the edge of the pattern is a classic mistake that stops codes scanning even when they’re large enough. Leave a clear border roughly four modules wide. Second, use a vector format for anything big. Download an SVG rather than a PNG for posters and banners so the code stays razor-sharp at any size instead of turning into soft, blurry squares.
LinkQRPro lets you set the exact pixel size and margin, and download a crisp SVG for large-format printing. Whatever the size, scan a printed proof before running the full batch.