For QR code print size, make the code at least about 2 cm wide, or about one-tenth of the scanning distance, and keep a quiet zone of four modules on every side. In our decoding test, the largest centre logo that still decoded covered 2.6% to 22.4% of the code, so keep a logo to about half of that.
How did we test QR code logos and borders?
We rendered QR codes in software and tried to decode each one. On 20 October 2026 we generated codes with the open-source qrcode library (v1.5.4) and decoded them with the jsQR decoder (v1.4.0). The renders were clean black on white at 8 pixels per module, and we changed them in two ways: clearing a centred square, as a logo would, and trimming the border. The test link was https://buy-it.now/summer-sale; we repeated the logo test with a 100-character link carrying UTM parameters.
Limits of this test. One software decoder reading clean digital renders, with no printing and no phone camera. Treat the numbers as upper bounds, not safe settings. We did not test motion blur, glare, curved surfaces or low light.
How big can a logo be in the centre of a QR code?
A centre logo can only be as big as the code's error correction allows. We grew a cleared square from the centre until the code stopped decoding and recorded the last size that worked: from 2.6% of the code at level L to 15.5% at level H for the short link, and up to 22.4% at level H for the long one.
| Link | Error correction | Code size (modules) | Largest cleared square | Share of code area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| buy-it.now/summer-sale | L (lowest) | 25 × 25 | 4 × 4 | 2.6% |
| M | 29 × 29 | 8 × 8 | 7.6% | |
| Q | 29 × 29 | 10 × 10 | 11.9% | |
| H (highest) | 33 × 33 | 13 × 13 | 15.5% | |
| Long link with UTM parameters | M | 45 × 45 | 15 × 15 | 11.1% |
| H | 57 × 57 | 27 × 27 | 22.4% |
Two things follow from the table. Higher correction buys a bigger logo, at the cost of a denser pattern. A longer destination also makes the code denser, and in this test that left more room for a logo as a share of the code, because each module is a smaller part of the whole. Our advice, which is judgement and not measurement: use level Q or H when you add a logo, and keep it under roughly half of the area shown above. On CTAurl, which QR styles you can use depends on your plan.
How big should the quiet zone around a QR code be?
The quiet zone around a QR code should be four modules wide on every side, meaning four squares' width of plain space; that is what the QR Code standard, ISO/IEC 18004, asks for. We checked how much of that border our decoder actually needed, on two different backgrounds.
| Quiet zone (modules) | On plain white | With a dark surround |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Decoded | Failed |
| 1 | Decoded | Decoded |
| 2 | Decoded | Decoded |
| 4 | Decoded | Decoded |
On plain white, the decoder read the code with no border at all, which is how borders get cut: the code works on the screen proof. With a dark surround, the code with no quiet zone failed and the code with one module decoded. A code printed on a coloured box or over a photograph is closer to the second case, so keep four modules of plain space.
What size should I print a QR code?
Print a QR code about one-tenth as wide as the scanning distance, and no smaller than about 2 cm. These are rules of thumb the QR community has long used, not results from our test. A table card read from 20 to 30 cm away needs 2 to 3 cm; a poster scanned from two metres should be about 20 cm.
| Where it is scanned | Typical distance | Minimum code width |
|---|---|---|
| Table card, receipt, packaging | 20 to 30 cm | 2 to 3 cm |
| Shop window, door | about 1 m | about 10 cm |
| Poster or banner | about 2 m | about 20 cm |
A denser code needs more room at the same distance, because its modules are smaller. In our test the long UTM link at level H produced a 57 × 57 code, against 25 × 25 for the short link at level L. A CTAurl QR code encodes a short CTAurl redirect address, never the destination, so long UTM tags on the destination do not make the printed pattern denser.
What should I check before printing a QR code?
Before you approve a print run, check the border, the contrast, the logo, the finish and a real printed sample. Each of these six checks comes from something measured or explained above:
- Four modules of plain border, on a light background.
- A dark code on light, with high contrast.
- A logo only if you need one: level Q or H, and small.
- A matte finish, with no glare.
- The actual printed sample, scanned on two phones at the real distance and in the real light.
- The short link printed beside the code as a fallback.
Questions people ask
How much of a QR code can a logo cover?
In our decoding test, the largest centred square that still decoded covered between 2.6% and 22.4% of the code, depending on error-correction level and link length. We recommend about half the largest size we measured, because a phone camera reading paper is less forgiving than a software decoder reading a clean image.
Does the quiet zone around a QR code really matter?
Yes, when the code sits on a busy or dark background. In our test a code on plain white decoded with no margin at all, but with a dark surround it failed with no quiet zone and decoded with one module. The standard asks for four, so use four.
What size should I print a QR code?
A common rule of thumb is a code about one-tenth as wide as the scanning distance, and no smaller than about 2 cm. A table card read from 20 to 30 cm away needs 2 to 3 cm; a poster read from two metres should be around 20 cm. Test a printed sample at the real distance before the full run.
Sources and method
Our own test, 20 October 2026: qrcode 1.5.4 (generation), jsQR 1.4.0 (decoding), clean renders at 8 px per module, one decoder, no printing and no camera. Raw script available on request.
Quiet-zone width of four modules: ISO/IEC 18004 (QR Code symbology). Print-size rules of thumb are widely used guidance, not our measurements.