QR code business card: which code to print

Two kinds of code, two different jobs

A business card QR code does one of two things when someone scans it.

• It holds your contact details (a vCard). The phone offers to save you as a contact. Nothing has to be loaded, so it works with no signal. The details are inside the code, so they cannot be edited after printing, and the more you include, the denser and harder to scan the code becomes.
• It holds a link. The phone opens a page. The code stays short and easy to scan, and you can change the page whenever you like. The person needs a connection, and they have to save your details from the page themselves.

Which one to print

• Choose the vCard code if your details will not change for the life of the print run and you meet people at events with poor signal. Name, one phone number and one email keep the code simple.
• Choose the link code if you change jobs, numbers or offers, or if you want to show more than contact details: a portfolio, a booking page, a menu.
• Print both on a two-sided card: a vCard code on one side to save you, a link code on the other for everything else. Label each so nobody guesses.

To make a vCard code right now, use the free vCard QR code generator: it runs in your browser, needs no account and gives you a PNG, an SVG and a .vcf file.

Size and placement

• Start at about 2 cm (0.8 inch) square. That is a rule of thumb, not a standard. A short link survives smaller; a vCard with many fields needs more room.
• Keep the empty margin. The blank border around the code is part of it. Do not let text, a photo or the edge of the card run into it.
• Dark on light. Black or a deep color on white or a pale background. Avoid putting the code on a pattern, a photo or a glossy foil finish.
• Add a reason to scan. A few words beside the code (“Save my contact”, “See my work”) get more scans than a bare square.

Test it before you order

1. Print the artwork at actual size on an office printer, not just look at it on screen.
2. Scan it with at least two different phones, in normal room light and in dim light.
3. For a vCard, check that the name, number and email land in the right contact fields.
4. For a link, open it on mobile data, not only on Wi-Fi, and confirm the page loads quickly.
5. Ask the printer for a proof of the final stock and finish, since a coating can change how the code reads.

Where LinkZae fits

LinkZae covers the link side of this. The Free plan gives you one link page with your logo, a QR code you can download as a PNG or SVG, and unlimited links, so the code on your card can point to a page you keep updating. Digital business cards with save-to-contacts, a contact book and scan analytics are on Minimal ($10/month or $90/year). LinkZae does not offer Apple or Google Wallet passes today.

If you also email clients, the same idea works in your signature: see the email signature QR code tool.

Questions