Free QR Code Business Card Maker (Link + Colors)

Free QR code for a business card

A business card QR code is a scannable square you print on a card so people open your link (your website, LinkedIn, portfolio, or link tree) instead of typing it. Paste that URL below, pick your colors, and this free tool draws the code live. The image is built by our server, then you download a print-ready PNG or SVG.

What to link a business card QR to

Point it at the one page you most want a new contact to see. Common picks: your homepage, a LinkedIn profile, a portfolio or case-study page, a booking link (Calendly, Cal.com), or a link tree that lists several of these on one page. A link tree is the safe default when you cannot choose, because you can rearrange what it lists without touching the card. Keep the destination mobile-friendly, since almost every scan happens on a phone held at arm's length. If you would rather the scan save your details straight to someone's contacts instead of opening a page, you want a contact QR, not a link QR (covered below).

Static vs dynamic: a printed card QR is forever

The code this tool makes is static. Your link is baked into the black-and-white pattern, so it scans forever with no account and no expiry, but two things are locked the moment you print: you cannot change where it points, and you get zero scan data. That is fine when the destination never moves, like a homepage on your own domain. It hurts when the target changes: switch portfolios, move your booking link, or rebrand your URL, and every printed card now leads to a dead or wrong page. A dynamic QR fixes this by pointing at a short link you control, so you re-point the destination after the cards are printed and never reorder a box of cards over a broken link. Whooshly builds dynamic codes in the app.

Design and placement tips that keep it scannable

Contrast first: a dark code on a light background reads fastest, and light-on-dark or low-contrast pairs often fail under bad lighting, so test before you commit. Keep the quiet zone, the blank margin around the code, clear (this tool bakes in a four-module margin, so do not crop into it). Print the code at least about 0.8 inch (2 cm) square on a standard card; smaller and phones struggle at arm's length. Put it on the back, or in a bottom corner of the front where it does not fight your name and logo. Add one short line next to it like 'Scan to view my work' so people know what they get. Download the SVG for the printer so the edges stay sharp at any size, and do a real scan from a printed proof, not just the screen.

When to use a contact (vCard) QR instead

Pick the link QR (this tool) when you want people to land on a live page you keep fresh: a portfolio, an offer, a booking link, a hosted card. Pick a contact QR when the only goal is getting saved into someone's phone at an event, since it drops your name, number, and email straight into their contacts with no page in between. Plenty of cards carry both: a contact QR on one side, a link to your work on the other. Build the contact version free at /tools/digital-business-card. If you want a card page you can edit after the cards are printed, with scan counts, use a Whooshly hosted card.

Reprint nothing. Re-point everything.

The QR here is static: baked into the card, scannable forever, but locked to one link and invisible in your analytics. Whooshly's dynamic QR points at a short link you own, so you can send a printed card's code to a new page anytime (new portfolio, new booking link, new offer) and see every scan by day, country, and device. One-time $49, no subscription, unlimited codes.

Frequently asked questions

What should a business card QR code link to?

Send it to the one page you most want a new contact to open: your homepage, LinkedIn, a portfolio, a booking link, or a link tree that lists several of those. Pick a mobile-friendly page, since nearly every scan happens on a phone. If you would rather the scan save your name and number straight to their contacts instead of opening a page, that is a contact (vCard) QR, which you can make free at /tools/digital-business-card.

What is the difference between a link QR and a contact (vCard) QR?

A link QR (this tool) opens a web page when scanned, like your site or link tree. A contact QR encodes a vCard, so scanning it offers to save you as a phone contact with your name, number, email, and website filled in, with no web page in between. Use a link QR to drive traffic to a page you keep updated; use a contact QR to get saved into someone's phone. Build the contact version at /tools/digital-business-card.

Can I change where my card's QR points after the cards are printed?

Not with a static code, and that is the honest limitation here. This tool bakes your link directly into the pattern, so once the cards are printed the destination is fixed and you cannot edit it or see how many people scanned. If the target page ever moves, you reprint. To re-point a printed code to a new page later, and count scans, you need a dynamic QR that routes through a short link you control, which is a Whooshly feature.

How big should the QR code be on a business card, and where does it go?

Print it at least about 0.8 inch (2 cm) square so a phone reads it at arm's length, and keep the blank margin around it clear. Put it on the back of the card or a bottom corner of the front where it does not crowd your name and logo, and add a short prompt like 'Scan to view my work'. Download the SVG so the printer keeps the edges sharp, and scan a printed proof before ordering a full run.

Is this free, and does my link get saved anywhere?

It is free with no signup and no watermark, and the code never expires. The QR image is drawn by our server from the URL you type, so that link passes through the server to render the picture, but nothing is stored in an account. The link you encode is public by design, since anyone who scans the printed code can read it, so treat it like any address you would print on a card.