QR code for business card that adds you to contacts
Put a QR code for business card contacts on the back of your card: one scan saves your name, phone, email and website to the other person's phone. The details are stored inside the code as a vCard, so it is static, never expires and needs no server. It is free with no sign-up, made entirely in your browser, and verified by a real scanner before you download it.
Content: Contact details
Fill in the details you want saved to the phone. Fewer fields make a smaller code that prints better on a card.
MeCard holds fewer fields but makes a much smaller code.
Style
PNG, JPG or SVG up to 2 MB. It stays on your device.
Your codes on this device
Off by default. When on, each downloaded code (type, content, style) is saved in this browser only, never uploaded. You can delete them at any time.
How to make a QR code for business card printing
- Under Contact details, fill in First name, Last name, Mobile phone and Email. Add Organisation, Job title and Website if they matter; leave the address and Note empty unless needed, since every field makes the code denser.
- Turn on Use MeCard (smaller code) if the code must fit in 2 cm or less; it packs the essentials into a much shorter string with fewer modules.
- Check the capacity line under the preview: a 45 × 45 module code prints well at 2.5 cm; above about 60 modules, remove a field or switch to MeCard.
- Leave Error correction on Auto, which sets Q for contact codes, and skip the logo unless the card gives the code 3 cm or more.
- Wait for Verified: scans as vCard, then Download SVG or Download PDF for the print shop; both stay sharp at any size.
Business card QR code details
The code holds a vCard 3.0 record: BEGIN:VCARD, VERSION:3.0, then lines such as N:, FN:, ORG:, TITLE:, TEL;TYPE=CELL:, EMAIL: and URL:, ending with END:VCARD. Commas and semicolons in your details are escaped and long lines are folded at 75 bytes, as the standard requires. Turn on Show encoded text to see exactly what the phone will read. The camera app decodes it and offers to create a contact with those fields filled in; nothing is fetched from the internet.
Keeping the code small
The details are the payload, so every field adds modules. Name, company, title, mobile, email and website come to roughly 160 bytes, which needs a 61 × 61 module code at error correction Q. The same contact as a MeCard is about 85 bytes and fits in 45 × 45 modules. At 2.5 cm wide, 45 modules give each module about 0.55 mm, which prints cleanly; 61 modules give 0.41 mm, workable on a good press but with no margin for a logo.
Print and placement
Put the code on the back of the card, or on the front if it does not compete with the name. Leave the four-module quiet zone clear: no borders, text or bleed across it. Uncoated or matt stock scans more reliably than gloss or foil, and the printer should work from the SVG or PDF rather than a PNG.
Common mistakes
- Filling every field. A full vCard with address and note becomes an 80-module code that fails at card size.
- Phone numbers without a country code. Use the +44 7700 900123 style so contacts saved abroad still dial correctly.
- Skipping the test. Scan the proof with an iPhone and an Android phone.
Use the QR code reader on the printed proof to see the decoded vCard and download it as a .vcf file.
This code never expires
Your details are written into the code as a vCard, so it keeps working for as long as the phone number and email stay the same, with no profile page in between. This is a static QR code: the data is written into the pattern, so scanning it needs no server, no account and no subscription. There is nothing to renew and no redirect that can be switched off, which is why a code made here keeps working for as long as the printed copy exists. The trade-off is honest: a static code cannot be edited after printing and does not count scans. If you need either, encode a link to a page you control. Read how static and dynamic codes differ, and if a code you already have has stopped working, see why QR codes expire.
Styling, formats and print size
Every code can be styled in the Style panel: six dot shapes, corner shapes, solid or gradient colours, a transparent background, a quiet zone of 0–8 modules, and your own logo up to 30 percent of the width. A contrast checker warns below 3:1 and blocks downloads below 1.5:1, and after each change the preview is decoded again so the badge tells you whether the styled code still scans.
| Output | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Web, documents, quick prints | 256 to 4096 px; transparent background supported |
| SVG | Designers and print shops | Vector, scales without limit; logo embedded |
| Printing at an exact size | Vector modules at a chosen width in mm or inches, optional caption | |
| JPG | Platforms that reject PNG | White background; no transparency |
| EPS | Legacy print workflows | Vector from the module matrix, no logo |
| Copy / Print | Pasting into a document; a quick paper test | PNG to the clipboard; print view with caption |
Print size: as a rule of thumb the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide, with the quiet zone included.
| Scan distance | Minimum width |
|---|---|
| 0.5 m (arm's length) | 5 cm |
| 1 m | 10 cm |
| 2 m | 20 cm |
| 5 m | 50 cm |
Contact codes are dense: print at least 2.5 cm wide for a vCard with six fields, or 2 cm for a MeCard, and keep the quiet zone clear of the card's edge and text.
The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Does a QR code for business card contacts expire?
No. The name, numbers and email are stored inside the code itself, not on a profile page. The phone reads them and offers to save a contact without connecting to anything, so there is no account to lapse. If your number changes you make a new code, exactly as you would reprint the card.
What happens when someone scans it?
The camera app recognises the vCard and shows an Add contact prompt with your name, phone, email and company filled in. On iPhone it opens in Contacts; on Android it opens the contacts app or a preview card. Nothing is downloaded and no app from us is needed.
Which fields should I include?
First name, last name, mobile phone, email and website cover almost every follow-up. Add organisation and job title if the card is for networking. Leave out the postal address unless people visit you; it adds around 60 bytes and several rows of modules, making the code harder to print small.
Should I use vCard or MeCard?
vCard holds more fields and is understood by every contact app. MeCard is a shorter format that iPhone and Android cameras also read, and it produces a noticeably smaller code. Use MeCard when the card gives the code less than 2.5 cm; use vCard when you have space or need the address.
Why is my contact code so dense compared with a link code?
A link is 30–40 characters; a vCard with six fields is around 160 bytes, and a full one with address and note can exceed 300. More bytes means more modules: a 61 × 61 code instead of 29 × 29. Contact codes also default to error correction Q, which adds modules too.
Related
Last updated . QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Open-source engines are listed on the how it works page.