QR codes for business cards and résumés: one scan to save your contact

A paper business card gets glanced at and pocketed; a business card with a QR code gets saved. One scan and your name, phone, email and website land in the other person's contacts — no typing, no typos. The same trick works on a résumé: a code in the header linking to your portfolio, GitHub or LinkedIn turns a static PDF into something a recruiter can act on in two seconds.

Static vCard vs. dynamic contact page: pick before you print

• Static vCard code (free, forever). Your details are encoded in the pixels — it works with zero servers involved and can never expire. Perfect if your phone and email are stable. Downside: printed means permanent; a new job title means a new code.
• Dynamic code → hosted contact page. The code encodes a short link to a contact page you can edit any time. Change roles, update your number, and every card you ever printed keeps working. This is what vCard Plus does — the visitor still gets a one-tap "Save contact" button.

Rule of thumb: ordering 500 cards you want to last years → dynamic. Printing 50 cards for a conference next week → static is simpler and free. The full trade-off is covered invCard vs. dynamic business-card QR.

Print rules for a 85 × 55 mm card

• Size: at least 1.5 × 1.5 cm for a URL code; 2 × 2 cm if the code encodes a full vCard (more data = denser modules). See the size & scan-distance chart.
• Quiet zone: keep a white margin of at least 4 modules around the code — don't let the card's background color or texture touch it.
• Error correction: level M is enough for a clean print; use Q or H if you add a logo or the card uses textured stock.
• Contrast: dark code on light background. Foil, spot-gloss and kraft paper all reduce contrast — test a proof before the full run.
• Format: send your printer vector SVG, PDF or EPS, never a stretched screenshot. All four exports are free in the generator.

Résumés and portfolios

• Put one code in the header linking to your portfolio, GitHub or LinkedIn — pick the single destination that sells you best, not three codes.
• Since résumés are mostly viewed as PDFs, make sure the link also works as plain text next to the code.
• Applying over months? Use a dynamic code so you can silently update the destination as your portfolio grows — the PDF you already sent keeps pointing at the newest version.

Make yours in two minutes

1. Open the free generator and choose the vCard type (or paste your portfolio URL).
2. Fill in name, phone, email, website — everything is encoded locally in your browser.
3. Optional: brand it with your colors, a center logo, or a pixel-art icon drawn inside the code.
4. Download SVG/PDF/EPS for the print shop, or PNG for a résumé header.
5. Details likely to change? Create a free account and make it a dynamic code first.

FAQ

Is it really free? Yes — static codes are generated entirely in your browser and can never be expired or held for ransom. Our promises are written down.

Does a vCard code work without internet? Yes. The contact data lives in the code itself, so it scans even in a basement conference hall with no signal.

Can I add a photo to the vCard? Keep photos out of static vCard codes — they bloat the data beyond what scans reliably. A hosted contact page (dynamic) can include a photo without affecting the code.