vCard QR Code
Encode your contact card (vCard) into a scannable QR code.
The Business Card Problem That vCard QR Solves
A paper business card gets handed over, inspected for two seconds, and placed in a pocket where it competes with 15 other cards from the same event. Entering contact details manually later is error-prone — a typo in the email address, a missing digit in the phone number — and most cards end up in a drawer rather than the address book. A vCard QR on the reverse side of the card makes transfer instant and accurate: one scan, review the fields, tap "Add to Contacts." The contact data arrives exactly as you specified, no transcription errors.
The same applies in any context where contact exchange happens at scale: conference registration badges, speaker bio panels, clinic appointment cards, trade show booths, and professional email signatures.
The vCard Standard — What Is Being Encoded
A vCard (Virtual Contact File) is a plain-text format standardized in RFC 6350 (2011). When encoded into a QR, the QR carries the full vCard text. iOS, Android, and most QR-capable address book apps recognize the BEGIN:VCARD prefix and parse the fields automatically.
A minimal vCard QR contains:
FN:— Full Name (formatted name for display)N:— Structured name (Last;First;Middle;Prefix;Suffix)TEL:— Phone number with type indicator (CELL, WORK, HOME)EMAIL:— Email addressORG:— Organization nameTITLE:— Job titleURL:— WebsiteADR:— Structured address
All fields are optional. The more fields you include, the larger and denser the QR code. For print contexts at small sizes, limit to the most essential fields — name, phone, and email — to keep the code scannable.
vCard QR vs. Dynamic QR for Contact Sharing
A static vCard QR encodes all contact data directly in the QR. Scanning works without internet access; the data is permanent. The tradeoff: if your phone number changes, you must reprint every QR containing the old number. There is no redirection mechanism.
Dynamic QR services (commercial platforms) encode a short URL that redirects to a contact page they host. Scanning requires internet access. The advantage is that you can update the contact data on their platform without reprinting; the QR URL stays the same. The risks: you depend on the service remaining operational and maintaining the redirect, and the platform sees every scan. For cards printed in small quantities for professionals whose contact details rarely change, static vCard QRs are simpler and more reliable. For event badges and marketing materials printed in large quantities where details may change, dynamic QR services offer more operational flexibility.
Payload Size and Scan Reliability
A full vCard with name, two phone numbers, email, organization, title, website, and address is typically 250–400 bytes. At QR error correction level M, this generates a version 10–14 code (57–73 modules per side). For business card print sizes (typically 2–3 cm for the QR on the card back), this is borderline for reliable scanning. Recommendations:
- Use error correction level Q (25% recovery) for all printed business card QRs.
- Limit to 4–5 fields maximum for small print sizes.
- If you need all fields, allocate at least 4 cm × 4 cm for the QR on the card design.
- Test-scan the generated QR before sending files to the printer.
How to Use This Tool
- Fill in the contact fields you want to include — all are optional.
- The QR updates in real time as you type.
- Set the error correction level to Q for print use.
- Download as PNG (for card design at 300 DPI) or SVG (for vector print files).
▢ FAQ
01 Which vCard fields can I include in the QR? +
Full name, structured name (for surname/given name sorting), phone (multiple numbers with types: cell, work, home), email, organization, job title, website URL, and postal address. All fields are optional — include only what you want the recipient to have.
02 Will the vCard QR work without internet access? +
Yes — all contact data is encoded directly in the QR. Scanning reads the data from the code itself, with no network request. This is the key advantage of static vCard QRs over dynamic QR redirect services, which require internet access to resolve the redirect.
03 My business card is small — will the QR be scannable? +
Depends on how many fields you include. A minimal vCard (name, phone, email) generates a relatively simple code that scans reliably at 2 cm × 2 cm. A full vCard with all fields generates a denser code that may need 4 cm × 4 cm for reliable scanning. Use error correction level Q (25% recovery) for all printed business card QRs. Test-scan before printing.
04 Is my contact information sent to a server? +
No. The vCard text and QR code are generated entirely in your browser. Nothing is transmitted. The QR you download is a self-contained image file; no external service is involved when someone scans it.
