What happens when someone scans your code
A vCard code holds the contact details you enter. When someone scans it with the built-in camera app on a current iPhone or Android phone, the phone opens a save contact screen with your details on it. No extra app is needed.
The details are stored inside the code itself. Nothing sits between the scan and your details, so the code keeps working even if 77-3.com disappears.
A code on a card saves people from typing your number or spelling your email address. One scan gives them the whole contact, with no link to follow.
How to make a vCard QR code
- Choose the contact card (vCard) type. Fill in the details you want to share, such as your name, company, title, phone, email, website and address. Leave out anything you do not want on the card.
- Check the scan result. Every design is test-scanned in your browser before download. If it will not scan, the page says so and suggests a fix, usually more contrast or a smaller logo. Scan the code with your own phone too, and confirm that the save contact screen shows the right name, company and number.
- Download the SVG for print. SVG is a vector file made for print. PNG is also available in 512, 1024, 2048 or 4096 pixels if you need a bitmap.
- Print one proof and test-scan it with your phone before you order a full run.
Tips for contact codes
- Use fewer fields. Longer content makes a denser code, and a denser code needs to be printed larger. Fewer fields give a smaller, easier-to-scan code.
- Your details stay private. The code is generated in your browser. Contact details are never sent to or stored on our servers. Anyone who scans the code gets every detail in it, so include only what you are happy to share.
- Print small batches. A static code cannot be edited after printing. If your number, email or job changes, you will need a new code. Static and dynamic QR codes explain the difference. Note that we cannot change where a printed code points or count its scans.
Design and print tips for business cards
Print the code at least 2 cm (about 0.8 inch) wide. A common guide is that the scanning distance can be about 10 times the code's width. Our QR code size guide covers print sizes and placement.
Match your brand colors, but keep strong contrast. Dark modules on a light background scan most reliably, and light-on-dark codes do not scan on some older scanner apps. The custom QR code options cover colors, gradients and dot shapes.
Keep the blank margin around the code. The standard calls for 4 modules of quiet zone. Many codes still scan with less, but do not go below 2.
If you add a logo, it sits in the center and the error correction level is raised to H automatically. Keep the logo small. If the design will not scan, a smaller logo is usually the fix.
Name badges and email signatures
On a name badge, put the code beside your name and title, and keep it large enough to scan. The same print size rule applies: at least 2 cm (about 0.8 inch) wide.
An email signature is read on a screen, not on paper. Download the PNG, pick a size that stays clear when it is shown in an email, and check that a phone can scan it from your monitor before you add it to your signature.