Business Card QR Code Generator
Add a QR code to your business card that opens your site, portfolio, or booking page. Download a vector SVG that stays sharp at card size.
What a business card QR code is
A business card QR code is a small static QR code printed on a card that encodes a web address, so scanning it opens the cardholder’s website, portfolio, or contact page.
A business card gives you about two centimetres of space, which is small for a QR code. Two things decide whether it works: how much data you put in it, and whether the file you hand the printer is vector or pixels. Keep the URL short and use the SVG, and a 2 cm code reads first time.
This page encodes a web address, so the scan opens a page rather than writing a contact into the phone. That is a real trade-off and it is covered below — for most people the page wins, because you can change what is on it after the cards are printed.
How to add a QR code to a business card
- 01
Pick the shortest useful URL
yourname.com beats yourname.com/en/about/contact-details. Fewer characters means fewer modules, and fewer modules is what makes a small code readable.
- 02
Generate and check the module count
Paste the link above. The line under the code reports the version and module count — for a card, a version 1–3 code (21 to 29 modules across) is comfortable.
- 03
Download the SVG
Choose Download SVG. It is a vector file, so the printer’s software scales it without softening the module edges. A PNG scaled down to 2 cm can blur exactly where the scanner needs a hard boundary.
- 04
Place it with its margin intact
Keep at least the built-in white border clear of text, rules, and the card edge. Then print a proof and scan it before ordering five hundred.
What to link to, and how to print it
A contact page
The most flexible target. It can hold your email, phone, calendar link, and current role — and you can update all of them after the cards are printed.
A portfolio or showreel
For designers, photographers, and anyone whose work argues better than their job title. Link to the work itself rather than a homepage that makes people hunt.
A booking link
Consultants and trades often get more out of a scheduling page than a website. The scan turns a conversation into an appointment before the card reaches a pocket.
Minimum size: about 2 cm
Two centimetres square is the practical floor for a short URL on a good print. Below that, ink spread on uncoated stock starts to close the gaps between modules.
Contrast beats cleverness
Black on white scans best. Dark ink on a pale, untextured background is acceptable. Light-on-dark, metallic, and spot-UV finishes all reduce the read rate, sometimes to zero.
Why not a vCard code
A vCard QR code embeds your details in the pattern, so it works offline — but it is far denser, it cannot be corrected after printing, and card scanners vary in how they interpret it. This tool does not make vCard codes.
Who puts a code on a card
- Freelancers and consultants
- Designers and photographers
- Estate and letting agents
- Trades and home services
- Conference and event networking
- Recruiters and headhunters
- Musicians and performers
- Therapists and coaches
This generator does not produce vCard or MeCard codes, so a scan cannot save a contact directly. If a single action is enough, the site also makes phone (tel:) and email codes — but a page you control can be updated after printing, and a code cannot.
A printed static code cannot be re-pointed. Link to a page you own, and you can change everything the visitor sees without touching the cards.
Questions about this
Around 2 cm square for a short URL, printed well. Below that the modules get close to the resolution of the printing process itself, and ink spread on uncoated card starts to merge them. Test a proof at the real size before ordering a run.
The SVG. It is vector, so the printer scales it to exactly 2 cm with perfectly hard edges. A PNG resampled down to card size can soften the module boundaries, which is precisely what a scanner is looking for.
No. This tool does not make vCard or MeCard codes; a link opens a web page instead. That page can offer a downloadable contact file, which has the advantage that you can correct a wrong phone number without reprinting the cards.
Back of the card, in a corner, with clear space all round. The front is for your name; a code competing with it makes both harder to read. Keep the built-in white margin free of text and away from the trim edge.
A dark ink on a light background can work if the contrast is strong, but every step away from black on white lowers the read rate. The custom QR code generator lets you pick colours and refuses pairs with too little contrast, but given how little of a card the code occupies, black is usually the better trade.