FixQR
What size should a QR code be on a flyer or poster?
The flyer looked perfect on screen. Then it was printed, taped to a wall, and people had to walk right up to it before their phones would read the QR code, or gave up. The code was real and the link was right. It was printed too small for the distance, squeezed against the design with no margin, or packed with a long link that made the squares too fine. This is the most common way a working QR code fails after printing.
Print a QR code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide on a flyer that people hold in their hand. For anything scanned from farther away, make the code about one tenth of the scanning distance. Leave a blank margin four modules wide on every side. Those three rules cover most flyers, posters, and signs.
The file looks sharp on a screen because the screen is zoomed in. The printed code is what the phone sees, at the distance the person is standing. Why QR codes break or are hard to scan covers the other reasons.
The one-tenth rule
A phone camera needs each module, the small dark and light squares, to cover enough pixels to tell them apart. The farther away the phone is, the smaller each module looks. A simple way to plan for that is to make the code width about one tenth of the scanning distance.
- Business card or handout held in the hand, 15 to 25 cm away: 2 to 2.5 cm (0.8 to 1 in).
- Flyer on a table or a counter, about 30 cm away: 3 cm (1.2 in).
- Flyer on a wall or a door, about 1 m (3 ft) away: 10 cm (4 in).
- Poster in a hallway or a window, about 2 m (6 ft) away: 20 cm (8 in).
- Sign or banner across a room, about 5 m (16 ft) away: 50 cm (20 in).
Treat these as a starting point, not a guarantee. A dense code, poor light, or an older phone can need more size. Round up when you are unsure.
Measure the code, then add the margin
The sizes above are for the pattern itself, from the outer edge of one corner square to the outer edge of the opposite one. The blank margin around it, called the quiet zone, is extra. The QR code standard asks for four modules of quiet zone on each side.
On a code that is 25 modules across, four modules on each side add about a third to the total width. A 3 cm code needs roughly 4 cm of clear space on the flyer. If the design has no room for that margin, the code is too big for the spot, or the spot is too small for the code.
A long link makes a denser code
A QR code grows more modules as it stores more text. A short address like a homepage makes a coarse code with large modules. A long address with tracking text makes a fine code with small modules. At the same printed size, the fine code is harder to scan.
If the code has to be small, shorten what it stores. Use a short page address on your own site rather than a long one with parameters. The shorter link also stays easier to type if someone cannot scan.
Logos and error correction
A QR code carries spare data, called error correction, so it can survive some damage. The four levels recover roughly 7, 15, 25, or 30 percent of the code. A logo in the middle uses up part of that spare data before the flyer ever gets a crease or a glare.
If you put a logo in the code, use the highest error correction level and give the code extra size. Keep the logo small, keep it off the three corner squares, and check that the finished picture still decodes.
Print at size, not by stretching
Place the code at the final size in the design. Do not export a tiny code and stretch it, and do not shrink a large code into a corner after the fact. Stretching blurs the modules. Shrinking can merge them. Either way, the corner squares lose their sharp edges and the camera loses the grid.
For print, export the finished flyer at print resolution. A code that looks soft on the proof will scan worse on paper.
Check the size on the finished flyer
The only size that matters is the one on the final picture. Open the flyer in FixQR, place the code where it belongs, and set it large enough for the distance. FixQR reads the finished picture and shows the destination it decoded. Download stays off until that check passes. Then print a proof at full size and scan it from where people will stand. How to test a QR code before you print it walks through that check.
What is the minimum size for a QR code on a flyer?
About 2 cm (0.8 in) wide, including the code but not the margin, when the flyer is held in the hand. Go larger if the link is long or the flyer will be posted on a wall.
How big should a QR code be on a poster?
Make the code about one tenth of the distance people will scan from. A poster read from 2 meters needs a code about 20 cm wide. A poster read from 6 feet needs a code about 7 inches wide.
How much blank space does a QR code need around it?
Four modules on every side. A module is one of the small squares in the code. Keep that margin the light color of the code, usually white, with no text, border, or photo inside it.
Does a logo in the middle make a QR code need to be bigger?
Yes. A logo covers modules, and the code relies on error correction to recover them. Give a code with a logo more size than a plain code, and test the printed result.