What size should a QR code be?
The minimum and recommended QR code sizes for business cards, menus, table tents, stickers, window posters and signs, plus the distance rule, contrast and quiet zone.
· 3 min read
Too small and phones won't read it. Too big wastes space on your menu. The right size depends mostly on one thing: how far away the customer will be when they scan.
The 10-to-1 rule
Make the code at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide. If people will scan from 30 cm away, as at a table, the code should be at least 3 cm wide. From 2 metres, as with a window poster seen from the pavement, it should be at least 20 cm.
Then add a margin for real life: dim restaurant lighting, older phones, and customers who won't lean in. When in doubt, go one size up.
Recommended sizes
| Where it's printed | Typical scan distance | Minimum width | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business card, receipt | 20 cm | 2 cm (0.8 in) | 2.5 cm (1 in) |
| Printed menu | 30 cm | 2.5 cm (1 in) | 3 cm (1.2 in) |
| Table tent | 40 cm | 3 cm (1.2 in) | 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) |
| Counter sticker | 50 cm | 4 cm (1.6 in) | 6 cm (2.4 in) |
| A4 or Letter poster on a wall | 1 m | 10 cm (4 in) | 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in) |
| Shop window, seen from outside | 2 m | 20 cm (8 in) | 25 cm (10 in) |
For reference, Qrunto's free print kit puts a 45 mm code on each table tent, 60 mm on round stickers and 120 mm on an A4 counter poster.
Longer links need bigger codes
A QR code grows more squares as you put more into it. A short link makes a simple code with large squares. A long link full of tracking parameters, or a Wi-Fi code with a long password, makes a dense code with tiny squares that needs more space to scan reliably.
- Keep links short:
yoursite.com/menu, not a long address with?utm_source=…on the end. - If a code looks busy, print it bigger than the table suggests.
- Editable codes help here, because they always contain a short link however long the real destination is.
Three things that matter as much as size
The quiet zone
Leave a plain margin around the code at least four squares wide. Without it, phones can't find where the code starts. Don't crop it to fit a layout, and don't put text, borders or photos right against it.
Contrast
Dark squares on a light background, ideally black or a deep brand colour on white. Avoid light colours, gradients, inverted codes (light on dark) and codes printed over photos.
Finish
Glossy lamination reflects ceiling lights straight into the camera. Matte paper or matte lamination scans better in restaurants and shop windows. Codes on curved surfaces, such as cups and bottles, should be smaller than the curve so they stay nearly flat.
Always test before printing a batch
- Print one copy at the real size, on the real paper.
- Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, ideally an older one, from where customers will stand or sit.
- Try it in the actual lighting: a dim corner table, or a window in the afternoon sun.
- Check it opens the right page, then print the rest.
Need a code to test with? Our free QR code generator makes print-ready PNG and SVG files. Use the SVG for print shops, because it stays sharp at any size.