QR code size for a flyer

A flyer is read in the hand at 20–40 cm, so print the QR code at 2 cm minimum and 2.5–3 cm where the layout allows. On a folded DL piece keep the code at least 8 mm clear of every fold — a crease through the pattern is the most common flyer failure.

The distances a flyer actually lives at

Context	Distance	Minimum code width
Held in the hand	20 cm	2 cm
Lying on a counter or table	30 cm	3 cm
Pinned to a noticeboard	50 cm	5 cm

Design for the hand — that is where flyers get read — but notice the second life: a flyer left on a café counter is scanned from 30 cm without being picked up. 2.5–3 cm covers both cases and costs almost nothing in layout terms. If the same artwork will also be pinned up, you are really designing a small poster and should size for 50 cm.

What fits on the page

A5 (148 × 210 mm): a 3 cm code plus quiet zone and a caption is a block of roughly 4 × 4.5 cm — about a fifth of the sheet's width. Easy.
DL (99 × 210 mm): a single panel is 99 mm wide, so the same block is a third of the panel. Still comfortable, but it must be placed, not squeezed in last.
A6 postcards: 2.5 cm is realistic; below that you are trading scans for whitespace.

Keep the code at least 8 mm inside the trim, clear of bleed, as the bleed and safe-area guide sets out — flyers are guillotined in stacks and cut drift is normal.

The fold is the failure mode

Most flyers that fail do not fail on size — they fail on the crease. A DL piece is usually an A4 sheet folded twice, and layouts built flat make it easy to park the code across a fold line. A crease through the pattern breaks it twice over: the paper fibres crack the ink along the fold, and the two halves sit at different angles to the camera so they never share focus. Keep the code — including its quiet zone — at least 8 mm from every fold, and check the folded dummy, not the flat PDF.

Handed-out flyers also get pocketed and crumpled, so EC Q is worth its cost here: scuffs and small creases are exactly the localised damage error correction exists to repair.

Before the run

Flyers are printed in thousands, which makes a five-minute check cheap insurance: run the payload through the size calculator, print one proof, fold it, scan it from 30 cm, and verify the artwork decodes. The full routine is in the pre-press checklist, and placement-on-the-page advice lives on the flyers surface page.

FAQ

How big should a QR code be on a flyer?

At least 2 cm, and 2.5–3 cm if the flyer may also be read lying on a counter. Flyers are held at 20–40 cm, so the sizing is forgiving — the fold placement and print quality are the usual failure points.

Where should a QR code go on a folded flyer?

On a single panel, at least 8 mm from every fold and trim edge, with the quiet zone intact. A crease through the code cracks the ink and angles the two halves apart, which defeats scanning even when the size is right.

What error correction level should a flyer QR code use?

Q is a good choice for handouts, because pocket creases and scuffs are localised damage that error correction can genuinely repair. Use M if the flyer will only ever be read flat and fresh.

Can I use the same QR code size for a flyer and a poster?

No. A flyer is read at arm's length; a poster from a metre or more. The same artwork pinned to a wall needs a 5–10 cm code where the in-hand version needed 2–3 cm.