How do I create a contact card QR code?
To create a contact card QR code, type a first or last name, add any other details you want to share, and download the code as PNG or SVG. The page writes your details as a vCard 3.0 contact card, so you never type BEGIN:VCARD yourself, and the code updates as you type. A detail you leave empty adds no line to the card. This is a contact QR code made in your browser, with no sign-up.
What is a VCF or vCard QR code?
On this page, a vCard QR code is a QR code that holds a contact card written as text. The page writes vCard 3.0: the text starts with BEGIN:VCARD, has one line for each detail you filled in, and ends with END:VCARD. The card is stored inside the code, which makes it a static QR code.
Which details can a vCard QR code hold?
A vCard QR code made here can hold a name, a mobile phone, a work phone, an email, a company, a job title, a website, an address and a note, and only a first or last name is required. The table shows what you type in each box and what the page does with it.
| Detail | What you type | What the page does |
|---|---|---|
| Name | First name, last name, or both | Needs at least one of the two and refuses to make a card without a name. |
| Mobile phone | A number that starts with + and the country code, like +1 555 0100 | Needs at least one digit, and warns when the number has letters or does not start with +. |
| Work phone | A number, written the same way | Runs the same checks, and marks the number as a work phone on the card. |
| An address like name@example.com | Refuses an address that does not look like name@example.com. | |
| Company and job title | Two boxes of plain text | Stores each on its own line of the card. |
| Website | A web address | Adds https:// when it is missing, and says so. |
| Address | Street, city, state or region, postal code, and country, marked Work or Home | Stores them as one address, marked Work or Home as you choose. |
| Note | A short note | Stores it on the card; a long note can make the code denser. |
A name with accents or emoji is written as UTF-8 and our test decoder reads it back exactly; phones were not tested with it, so scan one before you print.
How big should a business card QR code be?
Choose the 2 cm printed size, which is the option this page names for business cards. Under the code, Printed size shows the size of the downloaded file with its blank margin included, and the file is close to the size picked, not equal to it, because each square is drawn in whole pixels. DENSO WAVE says a QR Code requires a four-module wide margin on all sides, and every file made here has a blank margin four squares wide. We have not tested scanning a printed code or any phone with a Contact code, so scan one printed code before you print many.
Does adding more details make a vCard QR code denser?
Yes: every detail you add makes the card's text longer, a longer card needs more squares, and at the same printed size each square gets smaller. DENSO WAVE says that raising the error correction level also increases the size of a QR Code, and the table shows it for this page's Low, Medium and Highest levels.
| Example card | Text in the code | Squares per side at Low, Medium and Highest | One square at 2 cm | One square at 3 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name only | 71 bytes | 33, 37 and 49 | 0.42 mm | 0.68 mm |
| Name, mobile phone and email (the page's example) | 136 bytes | 45, 49 and 61 | 0.34 mm | 0.51 mm |
| Adds company, job title, work phone and website | 227 bytes | 53, 61 and 81 | 0.30 mm | 0.42 mm |
| Adds a street address and a short note | 343 bytes | 65, 73 and 97 | 0.25 mm | 0.38 mm |
These counts come from this page's own code for the four example cards, with short, made-up details, as PNG files at 600 dpi; what you type changes them. To keep the squares larger, leave out the details the card does not need, or choose a larger printed size.
Can anyone read the details in a vCard QR code?
Yes: anyone who scans a vCard QR code, or photographs it, can read every detail in it, because the details are written in plain text inside the code. Put on the code only what you would print on the card.
Is a vCard QR code static or dynamic?
A vCard QR code made here is static: what you type is stored inside the code itself, so a code can't be changed after you print it. To change a phone number or a job title, make a new code. Scans do not pass through Varnip, so Varnip does not count or limit them. Can you create a dynamic QR code here? No: Varnip makes static codes.
Is my contact information sent to a server?
What you type is encoded in your browser and is not sent to our servers. Your name, phone numbers, email and address all count as what you type. Varnip does count how the generators are used, such as which format was downloaded, never what you type.
Is this vCard QR code generator free, with no sign-up?
Yes, this vCard QR code generator is free, and you do not need to sign up: there is no account to create, and the files carry no watermark. This online vCard QR code generator costs nothing to use and runs in your browser.
Should I download the code as PNG or SVG?
Choose SVG for the print shop and PNG for a document, a website or a message; these are the only two file types this page makes. The SVG is a vector file whose size is stated in millimeters, the PNG is 600 dpi unless you ask for 300, and the dpi is stored in the file.
Does this page read vCard QR codes?
No, this page makes QR codes; it does not read or scan one you already have.
Which other kinds of QR code can I make?
Varnip's QR code generator makes nine more kinds, such as Website, Wi-Fi and Location. This page makes the Contact kind only.