vCard QR Code for Business Cards: Format, Size, Printing

To put a vCard QR code on a business card, write your details as a short vCard (name, phone, email, website, company), turn that text into a static QR code, and print it about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide with a white margin of four modules on every side. Use error correction level M, dark on light, and scan a printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone before you order the full run. When someone scans it, their phone offers to add you to their contacts.

Step by step

1. Write the contact text. Use the vCard example below, with your own details. Leave out anything you wouldn't print on the card itself.
2. Generate a static QR code from that text. Our free QR code generator builds it in your browser; any generator with a "vCard" or "text" mode works. Choose error correction M.
3. Export as a vector file (SVG or PDF) for the printer, so edges stay sharp at any size. The trade-offs are in QR code SVG vs PNG.
4. Place it on the card with a clear margin around it, away from folds, edges and foil.
5. Print one proof at real size and scan it with two or three different phones, in normal indoor light.
6. Check the saved contact: name order, phone format, a working email and website.

What to put in the code

vCard is the standard contact format (RFC 6350 for version 4.0, RFC 2426 for 3.0). Version 3.0 is still the most widely understood by phones and contact apps. A complete, compact example with placeholder details:

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Example;Alex;;;
FN:Alex Example
ORG:Example Studio
TITLE:Project Manager
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+1 555 0100
EMAIL:alex@example.com
URL:https://example.com
END:VCARD

N is the structured name (family name; given name), and FN is the name as shown. vCard 3.0 requires both, plus VERSION; vCard 4.0 requires only FN and VERSION. Write phone numbers in international format (+39, +1) so they work across borders.

MeCard is a shorter format popularized by NTT DoCoMo. The same person fits in far fewer characters:

MECARD:N:Example,Alex;TEL:+15550100;EMAIL:alex@example.com;;

Shorter text means fewer modules, so a MeCard code can print smaller. The catch is support: vCard is understood almost everywhere, while MeCard handling varies between scanner apps. Test it on the phones your contacts are likely to use. In both formats, characters like ; and , inside a value need a backslash in front.

How big to print it

A QR code's size depends on how much text it holds. The standard (ISO/IEC 18004, published by DENSO WAVE, the code's inventor) defines 40 versions, from 21 × 21 to 177 × 177 modules, growing by 4 modules per side. More text, higher version, smaller modules at the same print size.

A useful printing reference is GS1, the barcode standards body: for QR codes on consumer packaging it sets a minimum module size (X-dimension) of 0.396 mm and a target of 0.495 mm. Business cards are scanned closer and in better light than shelves, but those numbers are a sensible floor. Approximate results at level M and 0.4 mm per module, quiet zone included:

A standard card is 85 × 55 mm in Europe and 3.5 × 2 inches in the US, so a 25–30 mm code fits comfortably on the back. If your printer's proof scans slowly, the fix is usually less text, not more contrast.

Error correction and the quiet zone

QR codes use Reed-Solomon error correction in four levels. DENSO WAVE gives the approximate share of the code that can be restored:

Higher levels add data, so the same contact becomes a denser code: the sample vCard above is version 10 at level M and version 14 (73 × 73 modules) at level H. Pick M unless you have a reason not to.

The quiet zone is the empty margin around the code. The standard requires four modules on every side; at 0.4 mm per module that's 1.6 mm of nothing. Designers often crop it to make the code "fit", and that's the most common reason a well-made code won't scan. Keep it white (or the card's light background), and keep text, borders and bleed out of it.

Printing mistakes to avoid

• Light code on a dark card. Many phone readers handle inverted codes, but not all of them. Dark on light is the safe choice.
• Low contrast. Grey on silver, gold foil or metallic inks reflect light and confuse cameras.
• Spot UV, embossing or textured stock across the code. Keep the code area flat and matte.
• Raster images scaled up. A small PNG enlarged for print gets blurry edges; send vector files.
• A dynamic code you don't control. Some "vCard QR" services encode a short link to their page, not your contact. If the service closes or your subscription ends, the cards in circulation stop working. See do QR codes expire.

Static or dynamic?

A static vCard code holds your details directly. It works offline, forever, with no service in the middle, but you need new cards when your number changes. A dynamic code holds a short URL that redirects to a contact page you can edit later. It's convenient, but every scan goes through someone's server, which may log it, and the code only works while that service keeps the redirect alive. For people who receive your card, a static code is also easier to trust; if you're curious about the risks on the scanning side, read are QR codes safe to scan.

Keep the private details off the card

Your business card is public by design. The documents behind it, such as your ID, insurance card or signed contracts, aren't. If you keep photos of those on your phone, keep them out of the camera roll. sigil. stores photos in an encrypted vault on the phone, protected by a 256-bit key that only your sign unlocks, and strips location metadata on import. For photos you post with your contact page, such as a headshot, the free EXIF remover clears GPS and camera data in your browser. More on ID documents on your phone.

Bottom line

Encode a short vCard 3.0 (or a MeCard if you need it smaller), make it a static code at error correction M, and print it at about 2.5 cm with a clean four-module margin, dark on light. Then scan a real printed proof on more than one phone before ordering.

Sources

• IETF RFC 6350: vCard Format Specification (version 4.0)
• IETF RFC 2426: vCard MIME Directory Profile (version 3.0)
• ZXing project: Barcode contents (MECARD, vCard)
• DENSO WAVE: QR Code standardization and outline specification
• DENSO WAVE: Error correction feature
• DENSO WAVE: Information capacity and versions
• DENSO WAVE: Points for generating QR codes (quiet zone, module size)
• GS1 UK: How big should a QR code powered by GS1 be?