Print a QR Code: Size, Distance, and Material That Actually Scan

A QR code that looks crisp on a laptop and fails on a tent card has a physical problem, not a software problem. The matrix needs a minimum size for the distance, a quiet margin so the camera can see where the code ends, and a surface that does not glare, crease, or bend the modules. ShareKit gives you a PNG and an SVG for every upload. The SVG is what you place in a print file. The PNG is what you use when a tool refuses SVG. Neither file can rescue a code printed at 12 mm on a glossy curved lid.

This guide is the print half of a ShareKit code. The code itself encodes a scan address. A scan increments that upload's QR count and then opens the public file page. You are printing an address, so the file behind it has to be the one you mean, and the paper has to survive the room you are putting it in.

Start from distance, then pick a size

Phone cameras differ. These are starting sizes for a proof, not a law. Print one, and scan it in the real light before you print fifty.

| Where the person stands | Starting width of the code | Quiet space around it | | --- | --- | --- | | Hand, menu, or phone-to-page, about 15–25 cm | 20 mm | At least four modules, visually a clear margin on every side | | Table tent or counter, about 30 cm | 25–30 mm | Same margin, and do not let the tent fold cut the margin | | Poster read from about 1 m | 50–70 mm | Margin scales with the code; do not crop it to "tighten the layout" | | Door or wall read from about 2 m | 100 mm or more | Prove it from the spot people actually stop, not from your ladder |

A common rule of thumb is that the code's width should be about one tenth of the scan distance. At 30 cm that is 30 mm. At 1 m that is 100 mm. The table above is slightly tighter at arm's length because modern phones manage a well-printed 20 mm code up close, and slightly looser at a distance because posters are glanced at, not studied. If the first proof fails, go up a step in size before you touch the colors.

Measure the printed piece, not the size on screen. A "2 cm" box in a design file that was exported at the wrong scale becomes 12 mm on the sheet. Hold a ruler to the proof.

Quiet space, contrast, and the colors that fail

The quiet zone is empty margin. If a photo, a rule line, or a word touches the modules, scanners lose the boundary. Leave the margin even when the brand guide wants the mark flush to an edge.

Use dark modules on a light field. Black on white is the proof that should work. A dark brand color on white can work if you test it. White modules on a dark field often fail unless you have already proved that exact combination on the same stock. Do not put the code on a photograph. Do not put it on a gradient. Do not outline it with a stroke that changes the module size.

ShareKit's generated mark is a standard code for the scan URL. You can place that SVG in a layout. If you restyle it into an illustration that breaks the modules, you own the failed scans. The paid art styles in QR design are a separate, explicit purchase. A filter you applied in a design tool is not that, and it is a common way to ship a code that only scans in the office.

Material: matte, gloss, laminate, and curves

Matte card is the default for tents, cards, and indoor labels. It scans under ordinary room light.

Gloss and heavy laminate throw highlights. A code that scans in the stockroom fails under a spotlight or a window. If you must laminate, proof it under the light the guest will have, and tilt the phone the way a person actually holds it, not square-on in your hands at a desk.

Curves stretch modules. A code wrapped around a cup or a bottle needs to be larger, and it still may fail. Prefer a flat neck tag or a flat panel on the carton. If the product is round, test three units, not one hero photo.

Creases and stitches that cross the matrix are fatal. Keep the code off folds, off the zip of a pouch, and off the seam of a tent.

Outdoor labels fade and pick up dirt. A year-old code on a sunlit window is a different object from the file you uploaded. Plan a replacement print in the same way you plan a replacement PDF. The software cannot clean the sticker.

Fabric moves. A code printed on a flag or a t-shirt is a novelty unless you have tested it stretched flat. Do not put the only copy of a safety instruction on a flag.

SVG for the printer, PNG when you are stuck

Download the SVG for any piece that will be printed above a business card. Vectors stay sharp when the layout is scaled. A PNG that was large on screen becomes soft when a designer drops it into a 2-meter banner and scales it up. If a sign shop asks for PDF, place the SVG into the print PDF. Do not place a screenshot.

The PNG is appropriate for a slide, a preview, or a tool that only accepts raster. Export it at a size larger than the final print and do not scale it up afterward. If you can choose, choose SVG.

The code you print should be the scan code ShareKit generated for that upload, the one that hits the scan address and then the file page. Printing a screenshot of the share page URL as a homemade code is a different object. Use the asset from the upload so the scan count and the destination stay the ones you can see in the product.

Proof it like a skeptic

One proof catches most failures. Do it before the run, on the stock you will use.

1. Print a single copy at the final size.
2. Scan with a phone that is not signed in to ShareKit, so you see what a guest sees.
3. Scan at the real distance: seated at the table, standing at the poster line, holding the packet.
4. Scan under the real light, including the glare case. Turn the phone a little. People do not hold it perfectly square.
5. Confirm the page is the current file, not an old upload with a similar name. Read a revision line or a price you changed on purpose.
6. If it fails, increase the size or fix the material. Do not "fix" it by linking people to a different URL in the caption while the code still points at the old one.

For a room of tents, scan two pieces from the batch, not only the proof, in case the printer scaled the imposed sheet. For a run of labels, scan the first and the last on the roll.

The file behind the ink

Printing well does not keep a stale PDF fresh. The scan opens whatever the upload serves now. Signed-in owners can replace that file up to five times without a new QR image. Replacement does not extend the stored date. Guest uploads are stored for 7 days, account uploads for 30 days, and Keep One File moves one upload out by at least a year. The public page is not removed automatically when the date passes. Delete it when the code should stop, and do not print a code you are unwilling to leave online.

If the paper will outlive 30 days, decide that before the print meeting, not after the boxes come back from the shop. The pricing page lists Keep One File. The upload screen shows the date you actually bought.

A public page has no password. Do not print a code that opens a file you would not hand to a stranger who found the card on the floor.

Questions from the person laying out the file

Is 2 cm always enough?

No. It is a starting point up close on matte stock. At a metre, start several times larger and prove it.

Can I invert the colors to match a dark poster?

Only if a proof on that poster scans. If the proof fails, print a light patch behind a dark code. The brand color is cheaper to adjust than a wasted run.

Does a bigger code change the destination?

No. Size is ink. The destination is the address encoded in the mark. Replacing the file changes the bytes behind that address. Scaling the SVG does not.

Why did the office scan work and the venue fail?

Distance, light, or a surface that was flat on your desk and curved on site. Move the proof to the venue before you approve the quantity.

Which ShareKit page do I start from?

For a file you are hosting, upload it and use the QR from that upload. The QR code guide is the product page. A PDF that should also be a printable code can start at PDF to QR. The restaurant layout case is QR codes for restaurants.

Related: QR code guide · PDF to QR · pricing