What's the minimum size for a QR code on a T-shirt?

Bigger than you'd use on paper for the same scanning distance — fabric printing loses fine detail, so err generously large and keep the module pattern simple.

Can I use a coloured QR code on a garment?

Yes, if contrast stays high — a dark code on a light garment, or vice versa. Avoid mid-tone combinations, which are riskier on fabric than on paper.

Will washing damage the QR code?

Repeated washing does degrade any printed or pressed graphic over time, fabric QR codes included — using the simplest, highest-contrast design gives it the most margin before wear makes it unscannable.

How do I put a unique QR code on each product in a batch?

Generate the whole batch at once with a bulk QR code tool rather than one at a time — see the guide on generating 100+ codes in one pass.

Should the code go on a flat or curved part of the label?

Flat if at all possible — a code wrapped around a curved bottle or jar distorts and is much more likely to fail a scan.

How to put a QR code on a T-shirt or product label

Updated September 2026

A QR code on paper is forgiving — flat, high contrast, doesn't move. On fabric or a curved product label, it has to survive folding, washing, glare and a printer that isn't built for fine detail. Here's how to get it right.

Why fabric printing is harder than paper

Three things work against a QR code on fabric that don't apply to paper: the weave of the fabric can blur fine detail if the code is printed too small, folding and washing physically distort the pattern over time, and heat-transfer or screen-print methods don't always reproduce sharp edges the way inkjet/laser on paper does.

Go bigger and simpler than you think

For fabric, size up beyond the normal scanning-distance rule — err larger, since fabric printing loses more fine detail than paper. Use the simplest dot style (square modules, not an ornate rounded or artistic style) so there's more margin before wear or wash-fade makes it unreadable. This is not where a fancy custom style pays off.

Contrast matters even more on fabric

Fabric colour options are more limited and less predictable than "pure white paper," so keep to the highest-contrast combination realistically available — black on white or off-white is the safe choice. Avoid mid-tone garment colours as the background; a QR code printed on a colour close to its own foreground tone fails even before the fabric has been washed once.

For product labels specifically

Curved surfaces (a bottle, a jar) distort a code that's simply wrapped around them — keep the code on a flat panel of the label if at all possible, not spanning a curve. If it must wrap, size it up significantly and test-scan on the actual bottle shape before a full print run, not just on a flat proof.

For a run of many product labels, each needing a unique code (serial numbers, batch tracking), generate the whole batch at once rather than one at a time — see the bulk QR code guide.

Test before the full print run

Always scan a physical proof — not a screen preview — on the actual fabric or label stock, with the actual print method, before committing to quantity. A code that looks fine in the design tool can still fail once it's actually screen-printed or heat-pressed onto real material.