How to make a vCard QR code for your business card
A vCard QR code carries your name, phone, email and company as structured contact data, so scanning it opens a prefilled “add contact” screen instead of a web page.
5 min read · Updated
It saves people from photographing your card and then never typing the details in. The downside is size: contact details are far more text than a link, so a vCard code is dense and needs more room on the card than most people expect.
vCard or MeCard: which format to use
Both formats do the same job, and every modern phone reads both. vCard is the full standard (the format your address book exports) and supports job title, company, website, address and notes. MeCard is a compact alternative that carries name, phone, email and little else, in roughly half the characters.
Fewer characters means a lower QR version and larger modules, so a MeCard code is noticeably easier to scan. Use vCard when you need the extra fields, and MeCard when the card is small.
How to make a vCard QR code
- Open the generator and choose vCard (or MeCard).
- Fill in only the fields you would want a stranger to keep. Every optional field you add makes the code denser.
- Write the phone number in international format, such as
+380…,+44…, so it can be dialled from any country. - Export SVG or PDF for the printer rather than a small PNG. Vector files stay sharp at any size.
Keep the contact card short
A name, one phone number and one email address fit comfortably. Add a company, job title, postal address, website and a note, and the payload can easily double, which pushes the code into a much finer grid. On a business card printed at 2 cm, that can turn a code that scans at once into one that takes several attempts in poor light.
If you want to share a full profile, put a short link to your website in the code instead of the details themselves. The code stays coarse and easy to scan, and you can update the page later. A printed vCard cannot be changed once the cards are printed.
QR code size on a business card
Business cards are scanned from roughly 20–30 cm, which by the distance ÷ 10 rule means a code about 2–3 cm wide. On a standard 85×55 mm card that takes up a good part of the layout, so plan the space for it instead of squeezing the code into a leftover corner. Keep borders and text out of the quiet-zone margin.
Styling a vCard QR code
Contact codes are dense, so they tolerate decoration less than other codes. Keep the contrast between foreground and background strong, do not print the code over a photo, and if you want a logo in the middle, keep it small and raise error correction. A dark code on a light background remains the most reliable combination.
Test the card as a recipient would
Scan the printed card, not the file on screen, with a phone that does not already have your details. Check that the contact screen shows your name, number and email in the right fields. A common problem is a phone number saved without a country code, which cannot be dialled from abroad. You can also decode the code here to read the raw vCard text.