QRForge › QR Code for a Business Card
QR Code for a Business Card: how it works
A business card with a vCard QR code does something a plain card cannot: it puts you in someone's phone contacts in two seconds, spelled correctly, with your company and website attached. The vCard format is read natively by iPhone and Android cameras, which open "Add contact" with every field filled in.
QRForge builds the vCard in your browser for free. Your phone number and email are encoded locally and never sent to a server. Download a PNG for your card designer, or SVG with Pro for print-ready vector.
What to put in the vCard, and what to leave out
Select the vCard tab and fill in the fields that matter:
- Full name – as you want it to appear in contacts.
- Phone – in international format (+1 415 555 0123) so it dials correctly from abroad.
- Email and company.
- Website – your site or a LinkedIn profile URL.
Every character you add makes the QR pattern denser and harder to scan at business-card size, so resist adding long job titles or a postal address. A five-field vCard scans comfortably at 2 cm; a bloated one may need 3 cm or more. If you need to share much more than this, link to a contact page on your website instead and use a URL QR code, which stays small no matter how much the page contains.
Sizing, placement and print tips
Standard cards are 85 × 55 mm, which leaves room for a 18–22 mm code on the back. Keep the quiet-zone margin at the default: designers who crop it to fit the layout produce codes that scan intermittently. Avoid printing over gloss, foil or dark stock unless you invert the colours deliberately with a light foreground on a dark background and test it.
Choose error correction M for a plain code, or H if you add a centre logo (Pro). Export at 1000 px or as SVG so the print shop has more resolution than it needs. Before approving the print run, print one card on a desktop printer and scan it with two different phones; a code that only works on the designer's screen is a 500-card mistake.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when someone scans a vCard QR code?
Their camera app recognises the contact data and shows an Add Contact or Save Contact prompt with your name, phone, email, company and website already filled in. Nothing is downloaded and no app is needed.
Can I update my details after the cards are printed?
No. The contact data is stored inside the code, so a changed phone number means a new code. If your details change often, link to an online contact page instead.
Is my contact information uploaded to QRForge?
No. The vCard and the image are generated entirely in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent.
Can I add a photo to the vCard?
Not in the QR code; an embedded photo would make the pattern far too dense to scan. Add a photo to your contact page or let recipients add one themselves.
Looking for the full guide, tips and the complete FAQ? Read the main QRForge page.