Printing and export

How large the code has to be

The further away a reader stands, the larger the code has to be. A useful working rule is a tenth of the scanning distance: a code read from a metre wants roughly ten centimetres across, and one on a billboard wants far more than a designer expects.

Reviewed August 20, 2026

Steps

1. Decide the realistic scanning distance first — a table tent is read from 30 cm, a shop window from two metres.
2. Size the code to about a tenth of that distance, then round up.
3. Add size again if the payload is long, because a denser matrix needs bigger modules.
4. Add size again for anything read in motion or in poor light.

How to check it worked

Print one proof at final size and scan it from the real distance, not from arm’s length across a desk.

What usually goes wrong

• Sizing the code to fill a gap in the layout.
• A long URL making the matrix dense while the physical size stays fixed.
• A window code read from the pavement rather than from inside.