How Big Should a QR Code Be?
The distance-to-size rule for posters, packaging, and billboards.
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The 10:1 Rule of Thumb
A common rule of thumb is to make the code roughly one-tenth the distance from which it will be scanned. If guests will hold their phone 12 in from a coffee-table sticker, the sticker should be about 1¼ in wide. If a billboard would be scanned from the maximum distance of 33 ft, the printed QR should be about 3 ft wide.
This is conservative, and it is not part of the QR specification. It's a practical guideline for print, often suggested by e.g. signage suppliers. If you don't know the exact distance, design for the maximum reasonable distance someone might scan from. Codes that are too big still work fine; codes that are too small never do.
| Scan distance | Minimum code size | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4 in | ⅜ in | Inline graphic in a document |
| 12 in | 1¼ in | Coffee-table sticker, business card |
| 3 ft | 4 in | Restaurant table tent, shop counter |
| 10 ft | 12 in | Wall poster, exhibition stand |
| 33 ft | 3 ft | Billboard, train station signage |
| 80 ft | 8 ft | Large outdoor advertising |
Module Size Matters More Than Total Size
A QR code is made up of square "modules": the individual dark and light cells. What scanners actually need is a minimum module size in the camera frame. The total QR code size is a proxy for that, but it depends on how many modules the code contains, which depends on the QR version, and which depends on how much content you encoded.
More practically, a denser code (more content, higher version) needs to be physically bigger than a sparse code at the same scan distance, because each individual module is smaller relative to the whole. If you have flexibility in the content, e.g. shorter URLs and lower error correction levels make for more scan-friendly codes at the same physical size.
Print Resolution
DENSO's printed sizing example uses a 400 DPI printer with 4 dots per module. In practice, 300 DPI or higher is a reasonable floor for print, but SVG is safer because it preserves crisp module edges at any physical size. With raster exports, make sure the final placed size still leaves each module cleanly rendered.
The Quiet Zone
Every QR code needs an empty border around it (the "quiet zone"). The scanner needs to be able to detect where the code starts and ends. The QR specification (ISO/IEC 18004) says four modules of empty space on every side. Open QR Maker defaults to this. If you crop too tight in your design, the code may stop scanning even if everything else is correct.