Printing a UPI QR standee

The arithmetic first

Standee sizing is one division: minimum code width = scan distance ÷ 10. A customer at a counter holds their phone 60–100 cm from the standee, so the code itself needs to be 6–10 cm across — not the paper, the code. A wall-mounted code scanned from across a shop at 2 m needs 20 cm. The rule's derivation is on the 10:1 distance rule, and the size calculator does the division with module counts included.

Mapped to paper:

Format	Paper size	Code size	Works for
A6 tent card	105 × 148 mm	6–7 cm	Table-top, payer seated
A5 standee	148 × 210 mm	8–10 cm	The standard counter standee
A4	210 × 297 mm	12–18 cm	Wall mount, behind-counter
A3	297 × 420 mm	20+ cm	Across-the-room, queue signage

A5 is the sweet spot: a 10 cm code, the business name in large type above, the VPA and a CTA below, and margins that respect the 4-module quiet zone on every side.

What goes on it besides the code

1. Business name, large, matching pn — the payer's confirmation screen shows a name, and the printed name is what they compare it against. This is a fraud control, not branding; the format page explains why.
2. The VPA as text — the fallback when a camera struggles, and a second check.
3. A call to action — "Scan any UPI app to pay". Multilingual counters should see UPI QR in Hindi and regional languages.
4. Nothing else. Every extra element shrinks the code's share of the sheet.

Print quality and finish

• Export SVG from the generator and let the print shop scale it losslessly; if you must use raster, 300 DPI minimum — about 1,200 px for a 10 cm code. The general rules are in QR size for print.
• Matt lamination, always. Gloss under a shop's ceiling tube reflects a bright band straight into the phone camera — the single most common way a working standee "stops scanning". Matt gives the durability without the mirror.
• Lamination earns its cost twice: wipeable at a food counter, and an overlay sticker lifts visibly from laminate, making tampering easier to spot.
• Vertical stand, tilted slightly back, never flat on the counter — flat codes force an awkward top-down scan angle and catch every light source.
• Outdoor or window placement changes the material question entirely — see outdoor durability.

Dual-code standees

Merchants with a bank-issued BharatQR often print it beside their UPI code. Two rules keep a dual layout scannable: label each code ("UPI" / "All apps and cards"), and separate them by at least one full code width so a phone at counter distance frames one code cleanly. Two adjacent unlabelled codes produce the scan-the-wrong-one lottery.

The free-PDF workflow

The whole pipeline costs printing alone: generate at /upi with your VPA and name (the code renders client-side — your VPA is never uploaded), download SVG, place it in an A5 layout, and decode-verify the final artwork — the exported file, not the on-screen preview — before the print run. Then run the print checklist: quiet zone intact, contrast solid, a test scan from actual counter distance on a mid-range phone.

FAQ

What size should a UPI QR standee be?

A5 (148 × 210 mm) with the code printed 8–10 cm wide covers a normal counter, where customers scan from 60–100 cm. The rule is code width equals scan distance divided by ten.

Should a UPI standee be laminated glossy or matt?

Matt. Gloss lamination reflects overhead lighting directly into phone cameras and is the most common reason a counter code stops scanning. Matt lamination gives the same durability without the glare.

Can I put UPI and BharatQR on one standee?

Yes — label each code clearly and separate them by at least one full code width so the payer's camera frames a single code. Unlabelled adjacent codes cause wrong-code scans.

How do I print a UPI QR standee for free?

Generate the code free at useqr.app/upi, download the SVG, place it in an A5 layout with your business name and VPA, verify the final file decodes, and pay only for the printing and lamination.