{"id":1030,"date":"2026-10-23T17:27:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T17:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jfdi-blog-qr-code-minimum-size"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:27:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T17:27:28","slug":"qr-code-minimum-size","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jfdi.pro\/blog\/qr-code-minimum-size\/","title":{"rendered":"How small can a QR code be printed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A QR code with a short link can be printed as small as about 2 cm (0.8 in)<\/strong> wide, including its blank border, if it’s read from close up. Two things push the size up: how much the code holds<\/strong>, because more data means more, smaller squares, and how far away people scan it from<\/strong>. A good rule is that a code should be at least a tenth of the scanning distance: a poster read from 2 metres needs a code at least 20 cm wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Make a QR code<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why content changes the size<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A QR code is a grid of black and white squares (called modules<\/em>). The more you put in it, the more squares it needs: the smallest code, version 1<\/em>, is 21 \u00d7 21 squares, and each version up adds 4 more per side, up to version 40 at 177 \u00d7 177. Phones need each square to be big enough to see, so a denser code needs printing larger to keep its squares the same size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ran some typical contents through the QR encoder the JFDI QR code maker<\/a> uses, at its two most common error-correction levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the code holds<\/th>Characters<\/th>Squares across (Medium)<\/th>Squares across (Highest, for logos)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Short link: https:\/\/jfdi.pro\/blog\/menu<\/code><\/td>21<\/td>25<\/td>29<\/td><\/tr>
Typical page link<\/td>54<\/td>33<\/td>41<\/td><\/tr>
Wi-Fi network and password<\/td>43<\/td>33<\/td>37<\/td><\/tr>
Long link with tracking parameters<\/td>112<\/td>45<\/td>57<\/td><\/tr>
Contact card (name, company, phone, email, website)<\/td>169<\/td>53<\/td>69<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The long tracking link needs almost twice as many squares across as the short link, and with a logo it needs more than twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minimum sizes for close-up scanning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working from the 2 cm guideline for a short link, each square is about 0.6 mm. Keeping squares that size, and adding the standard blank border of 4 squares on each side, gives these minimum widths for codes read from close up (a table card, a business card, a product label):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the code holds<\/th>Minimum width (Medium)<\/th>With a logo (Highest)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Short link<\/td>2.0 cm<\/td>2.2 cm<\/td><\/tr>
Typical page link or Wi-Fi<\/td>2.5 cm<\/td>3.0 cm<\/td><\/tr>
Long link with tracking<\/td>3.2 cm<\/td>3.9 cm<\/td><\/tr>
Contact card<\/td>3.7 cm<\/td>4.7 cm<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are minimums for good conditions: sharp printing, a dark code on a light background, and a modern phone. Add a margin of safety for anything that matters, and test with an older phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minimum sizes for scanning from a distance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For posters, shop windows and signs, distance matters more than content. Use the 10:1 rule as a starting point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scanning distance<\/th>Minimum code width<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
30 cm (in your hand)<\/td>3 cm<\/td><\/tr>
1 m (a poster on a wall)<\/td>10 cm<\/td><\/tr>
2 m (across a room)<\/td>20 cm<\/td><\/tr>
5 m (a shop window from the pavement)<\/td>50 cm<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dense codes need more than this; short links can manage a little less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to make a code smaller<\/h2>\n\n\n\n