Guide · updated

QR code on a business card

Print the QR code at 0.6 in (15 mm) or larger, on the back of the card, with a white backing and a little space around it. Point it at either a vCard (saves your contact instantly, but can't be changed after printing) or a live page you can edit, so cards you've already handed out never go stale.

Size

Phone cameras read a clean QR reliably at about 0.6 in, and comfortably at 0.8 in. Below that, the limiting factor is how much data is in the code. A vCard with a name, two numbers, an email and a website is roughly 200 characters, which makes a denser code than a short URL. That is one reason a URL-based code (Cardie Tap) can be printed smaller than a vCard code. Cardie sizes the code from your actual details (a contact code grows up to 1.1 in in the corner) and warns in the builder when the modules would print under 0.4 mm.

Placement

Bottom-right of the back, or centered on the back with the logo above it. Keep it off the front: the front is for your name. Give it a white or very light backing even on a dark card, and keep at least 2 modules of quiet space on every side, which Cardie adds automatically.

What it should open

OptionWhat happens on scanCan you change it later?Cost at Cardie
vCard (contact) QRPhone opens "add contact" with your details filled inNo, it's printed$11.99 one time, with the phone card
Cardie Tap (live page)Opens cardie.io/c/you; one tap saves the contactYes, any time$19.99 per year
Plain website URLOpens your siteOnly if the URL stays the sameFree in any QR tool

Testing

Scan the preview on your screen with your own phone before you download, then scan a printed proof. Both iPhone and Android cameras read QR codes natively; no app is needed. If a scan opens a text blob instead of a contact card, the code carries a vCard but the phone's reader didn't recognize it, which is rare on anything made after 2020.