QR code for a business card
A code on a card or badge: the other person points a camera and gets a link to your profile, site or contacts page.
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A link, not the contacts
The temptation to encode a phone number and an email is strong, but it is a mistake. Contacts inside a code cannot be updated: change your number and the print run is waste paper.
A link to a contacts page solves that: the page content changes at any moment while the printed code keeps working. As a bonus you can see how many people followed it.
Printing on a card
Size. At least two centimetres per side, ideally two and a half. Smaller and commercial printing blurs the edges.
Quiet zone. The code must not sit flush against the card edge; a blank border is required. It is included in the downloaded file — do not crop it.
Logo in the middle. Possible at correction level H, but it must not cover more than a fifth of the area or overlap the corner squares.
Colour. Black on white. Coloured codes on coloured backgrounds often fail in commercial print.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What should the code contain?
A link, not the contacts themselves. Contact details inside a code cannot be updated: change your phone number and the whole print run is waste paper. A link to a contacts page can be edited at any moment.
What size on a card?
At least 2 cm per side, ideally 2.5. Smaller and commercial printing blurs the edges. Always leave the quiet zone — the code must not touch the card edge.
Can I put a logo in the middle?
Yes, at correction level H, which tolerates up to thirty per cent of damage. The logo must not cover more than a fifth of the area or overlap the corner squares.
Print in colour?
Not recommended. Scanners look for dark on light, and a coloured code on a coloured background often fails in print.
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