vCard Contact QR Code Generator
One scan puts your name, number, email, and company into the other person's address book — no typos, no "I'll save it later". The card is generated in your browser; your details are never sent to us.
Print checklist
- Keep the white margin around the code — it is the quiet zone scanners need, not empty space to crop.
- Size for the scan distance: at least 2 × 2 cm for arm's-length scanning, and roughly one tenth of the farthest scan distance for posters.
- Scan a test print with a real phone before making copies.
vCard vs MECARD — and why this generator uses vCard
Two text formats compete inside contact QR codes. MECARD is a compact convention from the Japanese phone era: shorter payloads, but only a handful of fields and patchy handling of things like job titles. vCard (specifically vCard 3.0, the format standardized in RFC 2426) is the same format email programs and phone address books exchange contacts in: more verbose, but with well-defined fields for name, organization, title, and URL — and it is what modern iPhone and Android camera apps parse most reliably.
This generator emits vCard 3.0. The payload is bigger, which makes the code denser — the sizing section below explains why that matters in print.
Worked example
A card for Ada Lovelace, Chief Engineer at Analytical Engines Ltd, encodes as:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lovelace;Ada;;; FN:Ada Lovelace TEL;TYPE=CELL:+442079460958 EMAIL:ada@example.com ORG:Analytical Engines Ltd TITLE:Chief Engineer END:VCARD
Every line ends with CRLF as the vCard standard requires, and characters like commas and semicolons in names are escaped automatically — a company called "Smith, Jones & Co" will not break the card.
What actually happens on iPhone and Android
- iPhone: the built-in Camera app recognizes the vCard and shows a notification; tapping it opens the contact preview in Contacts with an "Add" action. No extra app needed.
- Android: the stock camera on most recent phones (or Google Lens on older ones) shows an "Add contact" chip that opens the pre-filled contact editor. Some vendor camera apps route through their own scanner UI first.
- Older devices: any third-party QR scanner app will read the code; the contact fields display as text if the app cannot hand them to the address book.
In all cases the person scanning confirms before anything is saved — a vCard code cannot silently write to anyone's contacts.
Business-card sizing: the density problem
A vCard payload is long, so the code has more, smaller modules than a link code — and small modules are what fail on cheap print at small sizes. Practical rules for an 85 × 55 mm card:
- Give the code at least 2 × 2 cm of the card, plus its white quiet zone. Below that, dense vCards mis-scan on matte or textured stock.
- Fill in only the fields you need. Every optional field you leave empty makes the modules physically larger at the same print size. Name + phone + email scans far more forgivingly than a fully loaded card.
- Use the SVG download for print shops. It scales without pixelation and keeps module edges crisp on high-resolution presses.
- Avoid printing the code across a fold or texture, and keep foil and spot varnish off it.
vCard QR code FAQ
Can I update the contact details after printing?
No — the details live inside the code itself, which is what makes it permanent and server-free. If your number changes, generate and print a new code. (Services that promise "editable" contact codes host your data on their servers and charge for the privilege; see the honest comparison on the about page.)
Is a photo or logo included in the contact?
No. Embedding an image in a vCard makes the payload enormous — far too dense for a reliable printed code. The optional logo in the style panel decorates the code image itself; it is not part of the contact data.
Why does the phone field want the international format?
Because the card travels. A contact saved as +44 20 7946 0958 dials correctly from
any country; a local-format number breaks the moment the person who scanned it crosses a border.
Where does my data go when I generate a card?
Nowhere. Encoding runs in your browser; this page sends nothing you type to any server. If you choose "Save to my account", that specific card is stored in your private library — and because contact details are personal data, the generator shows an explicit notice before the first such save.
Pair the card with a WhatsApp chat code or a plain phone call code for single-action alternatives, or an email code for a pre-addressed message.