Sam Rivera
Designer, Rivera Studio
QR code for business cards
Fill in your contact details once. The code on your card saves you to the phone of everyone you meet.
A business card QR code holds your contact details as a vCard: name, company, phone, e-mail and website. When someone scans it, the phone shows your contact with an Add button, every field in place. Enter your details below, download SVG or PDF and print the code at 2 cm or larger on the card.
Hand over the card, they save you
A new contact scans the back of your card and taps Add. Your name, number and e-mail land in the right fields.
Templates for this code
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Card back
Plain black squares with a short line, the safest choice for small print.
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Studio soft
Rounded modules in pine green for creative and freelance cards.
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Cream stock
Dark code on a cream background that matches uncoated card stock.
Print-ready card layouts
Download your code placed on a business card with 3 mm bleed and crop marks, as a PDF for your printer.
Or a card people can save, that you can update
An editable code can open a hosted contact card with a Save contact button. Change your number or job later, and the printed card stays right.
How to add a QR code to your business card
Enter only what you want people to keep
Name, job title, company, one phone number, one e-mail and your website. Fewer fields keep the code easy to read at card size.
Write the number in international format
Use +1, +44 or +49 in front of the number. A contact saved abroad then still dials correctly.
Test the save on two phones
Scan the preview with an iPhone and an Android phone. Check that the name, company and number land in the right fields.
Hand the vector file to your printer
Download SVG, PDF or EPS so the code stays sharp at any size, with a white margin around it.
Fixed or editable on a business card?
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Fixed QR code (static)
We recommend fixed for most cards. Your details live inside the code, so it works offline and costs nothing. When your number or job changes you print new cards anyway, and a new code is free.
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Editable QR code (dynamic)
An editable code prints a short link to a hosted contact page you update yourself. Pick it if you hand out cards for years and your details change often, or to see how many contacts scanned. It comes with a plan, a pass or the 14-day trial.
Cards where a contact code pays off
Trade fairs
You meet forty people in a day. A code means your details are in their phone before they leave the stand, not in a pile of cards in a hotel room.
Sales and field teams
Every rep gets the same layout with their own code. The number saved is the direct line, not the switchboard.
Freelancers and creatives
Add your portfolio link to the contact card so a single scan saves both who you are and where your work lives.
Shops and studios
Cards on the counter work while you are busy: a customer scans, saves your number and calls back to book.
Card sizes and print specs
Standard US card: 3.5 by 2 inches
On a US card, a code of about 0.8 to 1 inch on the back leaves room for your name and logo. Keep it clear of the trim edge.
Standard EU card: 85 by 55 mm
On a European card, plan for a code of 20 to 25 mm. That reads well at a normal holding distance.
Mind the finish
Matte stock scans better than gloss under shop lights. Keep foil, spot varnish and embossing off the squares.
What a business card code can hold
- Name and company
- First name, last name, company and job title, saved into the matching contact fields.
- Phone, e-mail and website
- One of each keeps the code small. The website can be your portfolio, booking page or profile.
- Contact format
- The code uses the vCard 3.0 contact format, which iPhone and Android contact apps both read.
Questions and answers
Before you print
- Is it free?
- Fixed codes are free: make as many as you like, download a PNG with no sign-up, and get every other format and print files with a free account. Editable codes come with a plan, a pass, Keep-alive or the 14-day trial.
- Can I change the link after printing?
- Yes, with an editable code. It holds a short link you control, so you can point the printed code somewhere new any time, and the next scan opens the new page. A fixed code keeps the link it was made with.
- Can I use my own domain?
- Yes. A custom domain is included on passes, from Starter, and during the trial. Starter covers one subdomain, for example go.yourbrand.com, and apex domains start on Pro.
- What happens if I stop paying?
- Editable codes work to the end of your paid period, and after a failed payment every code keeps working for 14 days. Turn codes back on within 12 months. Fixed codes keep working as long as their links do.
What should a QR code on a business card link to?
For most people the contact itself: the code saves your name, number and e-mail directly, which is what someone wants after meeting you. If your card already shows the contact details in print, a link to your portfolio or booking page can be the better use of the space.
How big should the code be on a business card?
Around 2 to 2.5 cm, or 0.8 to 1 inch, for a contact with a handful of fields. More fields need more room. The print check under the preview gives the smallest size your exact code prints well at.
Front or back of the card?
Usually the back, where the code can sit large with a short line like "Scan to save my contact". The front stays clean for your name and logo.
Will the code still work if I change jobs?
A fixed code keeps saving the details it was made with, so it shows your old job. That is fine, because new cards need a new code anyway. If your details change more often than you reprint, use an editable code with a hosted contact page.
Can I add a photo to the contact?
Not in a fixed code: a photo is far too much data for a printable square. A hosted contact page on an editable code can show your photo.
Is there a watermark on the free business card code?
No. Fixed codes download without a watermark in SVG, PNG, JPG, WebP, PDF and EPS, and you do not need an account to make them.
Make your card save itself
Fill in the details you want people to keep and download a print-ready contact code.