QR codes on business cards
Updated 4 November 2026
A business card has one job: making it easy for someone to get back in touch with you. A QR code helps when it saves them typing your details, or takes them to something a small card can’t hold, such as your portfolio or booking page. It’s a waste of ink when it only opens your home page.
There’s also a quieter benefit. Cards tend to outlive the details printed on them. If the code points to a page you can update, part of the card stays right even after your details change.
What should the code open?
Choose one purpose, then say what it is. “Scan to save my details” beats a bare code every time.
- •A personal contact page with your name, photo, phone and email, and a button to save your details. This is usually the best option.
- •A booking page, if you’d like people to arrange a call or appointment.
- •A portfolio or case studies, if your work sells itself.
- •Your LinkedIn profile, if that’s where you want the conversation to continue.
vCard codes vs a link to a contact page
A vCard code holds your contact details in the pattern itself, so a phone can offer to save them without going online. That is neat, but it comes with two costs. A full set of details makes a dense code, which is awkward at business card size: a sample card of about 270 characters needed a 65-module grid when we generated one, compared with about 30 to 40 for a short link. And once printed, those details can never change.
A link to a web page gives you a simpler code and something you can update. To be clear about what we offer: Host Dada codes always open a web address, so we don’t put vCard data directly in the code. To offer one-tap saving, publish a contact page with a link to a .vcf contact file, hosted on your own website, and point the code at that page. Most phones will offer to add the contact, but test on both iPhone and Android.
Size and placement
On a standard UK card of about 85 x 55 mm, a code of 2 to 2.5 cm is a sensible starting point, as cards are read close up. That size includes the code’s clear margin. If you have room, the back of the card is often better, as it lets you make the code a little bigger and leaves the front uncluttered. Our size guide explains the reasoning.
Cards are where a logo in the code costs the most. A logo makes the pattern denser, and at 2 cm you have little room to spare. Your logo is probably already on the card, so try a plain code first and compare.
Print finishes to watch
- •Spot UV, foil and heavy gloss over the code can create reflections that stop a camera reading it. Keep the code area matt if you can.
- •Heavily textured card can break up small modules.
- •Stick with a dark pattern on a light background. Pale tints may look elegant but read less reliably.
- •Ask for a proof of the actual stock, and scan it with a couple of phones before you approve the run.
Cards for a whole team
If everyone’s card needs to open their own page, each person needs their own code. That matters for choosing a plan: on Host Dada, Starter covers up to 3 codes and Growth up to 50. Name each code after the person, so it’s easy to find later.
When someone leaves, you don’t need to chase their old cards. Change that code’s destination to the team page or to their successor, and any cards still out there keep working for you.
You can also see how often each code is scanned. That’s handy if you want to know whether cards from a trade show are being used, as long as you’re comfortable that the figures are estimates.
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Frequently asked questions
- What size should a QR code be on a business card?
- About 2 to 2.5 cm, including its clear margin, is a sensible starting point. Test a printed proof on your actual card stock before you order the full run.
- Should a business card QR code be a vCard or a link?
- A link usually works better, because the code is simpler and the page can be updated. A vCard works offline but makes a denser code and can’t change after printing.
- Can Host Dada put my contact details directly in the code?
- No. Host Dada codes always open a web address. You can point the code at a contact page with a link to a .vcf contact file hosted on your own website.
- What happens to the code on my cards if my details change?
- Update the page it opens or change the code’s destination. The printed cards keep working, though anything else printed on them, such as a phone number, stays as it is.