QR Code Print Size Calculator
Quick Answer
Recommended QR code size
4.8
inches
12.2
centimeters
1440
pixels at 300 DPI
Q
error correction
- Apply the 10:1 rule. Use error correction Q to survive a small amount of damage or fading.
How the calculation works
The widely-used 10:1 rule of thumb says that a QR code should be at least one-tenth the scan distance. So a code scanned from 10 feet away needs to be at least 1 foot (about 30 cm) wide. This calculator applies that rule, then adjusts up for one of three use cases:
- Close range (under 12 inches): business cards, product labels, restaurant menus. The minimum is roughly 0.8 inches (2 cm) per side.
- Medium range (1 to 10 feet): posters, retail signage, packaging. Apply the 10:1 rule.
- Long range (over 10 feet): billboards, transit ads, stage backdrops. Apply 10:1 plus a 25% safety margin for motion, tilt, and reduced lighting. Use error correction Q or H.
Pixel sizes assume 300 DPI for print. Download SVG from Link2QR when possible so the image scales perfectly to any final print size.
Common scan distances and recommended sizes
| Use case | Scan distance | Recommended size | Pixels at 300 DPI | Error correction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business card | 6 to 12 inches | 0.8 to 1 inch (2 to 2.5 cm) | 240 to 300 px | M or H (with logo) |
| Restaurant menu / table tent | 12 to 24 inches | 1.2 to 2 inches (3 to 5 cm) | 360 to 600 px | M |
| Product packaging | 6 to 18 inches | 1 inch (2.5 cm) | 300 px | M or Q |
| Real estate yard sign | 3 to 5 feet | 3.6 to 6 inches (9 to 15 cm) | 1,080 to 1,800 px | Q |
| Retail poster | 5 to 10 feet | 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) | 1,800 to 3,600 px | Q |
| Trade-show booth banner | 10 to 20 feet | 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) | 3,600 to 7,200 px | Q or H |
| Highway billboard | 50 to 100 feet | 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) | 18,000 to 36,000 px | H |
Pixel values are the physical print size multiplied by 300 (dots per inch). They describe the minimum raster resolution for a sharp print, not a fixed QR image size - the number of modules in the code itself depends on how much data you encode, not on the print size.
Digital display sizes (web, email, slides)
DPI only applies to print. A QR code shown on a screen is measured in pixels, and there is no physical scanning-distance math to do because the viewer is usually holding a second device (their phone) up to the screen the code is displayed on.
- Web pages: at least 150 x 150 pixels so the code is comfortable to scan from a phone without zooming in.
- Email: at least 200 x 200 pixels. Email clients render images inconsistently, so a larger minimum gives more margin for error.
- Slide decks and screen shares: at least 300 x 300 pixels on the slide, sized so the code is still readable at whatever resolution the audience is watching on (a laptop webcam feed compresses detail more than a native screen).
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Beyond size: things that also affect scan success
- Contrast: minimum 50% luminance difference between dark and light modules. Avoid dark-on-dark and light-on-light.
- Quiet zone: a white margin of at least four modules on every side. Without it, many scanners refuse to read the code.
- Logo overlay: only safe if you bumped error correction to H, and only if the logo stays well under 20% of the QR area. In our test an H-level code stopped decoding above 19%.
- Lighting and glare: matte paper or matte vinyl scans far better than glossy stock under store or stage lights.
- Curved surfaces: bottles, cups, and cylinders distort the module grid. Flatten the printable area as much as possible, or size up to give the scanner more margin for error.
- Camera quality: assume your worst-case scanner is a three-year-old budget phone in low light. Calculate for that, not for a new iPhone.
Once you have a final design, run it through the QR reliability audit to simulate tilt, blur, contrast loss, and partial occlusion before you go to print.
Sources
- Information capacity and versions of QR Code, DENSO WAVE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 10:1 rule for QR code size?
The 10:1 rule says your QR code should be at least 1/10th the distance from which you want it scanned. A code scanned from 10 feet away should be at least 1 foot wide. This is a conservative rule of thumb that accounts for older phone cameras, glare, and tilt.
What is the minimum print size for a QR code?
The absolute minimum for a close-range scan (under 12 inches, such as a business card) is about 0.8 inches (2 cm) per side. Anything smaller risks failed scans on lower-end phones or in dim light. Most printers also struggle with module sizes below 0.4 mm.
Does QR code data length affect size?
Yes. The more data you encode, the denser the QR code becomes (more modules per side). Dense codes need to be physically larger to scan reliably. Keep encoded URLs short, or use a Link2QR static code that points to a short URL you control.
What DPI do I need for printed QR codes?
Use 300 DPI for offset or laser print, 600 DPI for very small codes (under 1 inch), and 150 DPI is acceptable for large-format signage or billboards. Always download from Link2QR as SVG when possible, since SVG is vector and scales to any DPI without quality loss.
How big should a billboard QR code be?
For a billboard viewed from a car at 30 to 50 feet, the QR code should be 3 to 5 feet wide using the 10:1 rule, and you should use error correction level Q or H to survive distance, motion, and partial occlusion. Test from the actual viewing distance before printing.
Why does my QR code fail to scan even at the right size?
Size is only one factor. Check contrast (dark code on light background, minimum 50% difference), the quiet zone (white margin around the code, at least 4 modules wide), error correction level (use H if you have a logo overlay), and module sharpness (avoid blur, fading, or low-DPI prints).
Can a QR code be too big?
No. A larger QR code is never harder to scan, so when in doubt, size up. The only real constraints are the space available and how the code looks next to the rest of your design.
What size should a QR code be on a screen (web, email, slides)?
Screen sizes are measured in pixels, not DPI, because there is no print resolution involved. Use at least 150x150 pixels on a web page, 200x200 pixels in an email (client rendering varies more), and 300x300 pixels or larger in a slide deck or video call screen share.