How big should my QR code be?

This one might be too big, but it really depends on where you’re standing:

What’s the right answer?  It depends on the “focal distance” of the mobile phone that’s scanning it.  Which really means: how far do you expect the person to be away from the code?

The ShareSquare official rule of thumb is:  half an inch bigger for every foot farther away you expect the person to be.  An absolute minimum size of 0.5″ square for the QR code, with no maximum.

Our optimized ShareSquare QR codes are actually pretty special for this reason, almost all other QR codes are recommended to be double this size.

These are decent good examples of other people’s QR codes:

That Calvin Klein one must be 20 feet across!

If you’re putting your ShareSquare QR code on something that’s typically hand-held, like a magazine or flyer, half an inch will do just fine.  That size is even good for posters, as long as you’re sure people will notice it.  Mitchel Musso’s ShareSquare campaign posters have been performing well with an 0.5″ QR code:

As well as the one that’s on TV screens in malls across the country (see video below).  The code is about 6 inches big, because they expect most people to be standing about 12 feet away:

In short, there is no “exact” size for a given application, just keep in mind the rule of thumb above as you think about how far away your fans will be when they discover and scan your ShareSquare QR code!

Check out our FAQ for more insight on QR code best practices.

  • http://blog.getsharesquare.com/wild/how-not-to-screw-up-your-qr-code-part-1-contrast/ How not to screw up your QR code part 1: contrast | ShareSquare Blog

    [...] your mobile phone’s camera can decipher more than 4,000 characters.  They can be almost any size, and they still work even if you damage part of [...]

  • http://landsurveyorsunited.com/ Land Surveyors United

    this is incredibly helpful information about the QR codes. it answered allof my questions..thanks!