diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71c50f9..1573112 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -53,6 +53,19 @@ actually care about. Set `render.qr_base_url` to a short redirector and encode a
 a full URL. The table is pinned in `tests/test_scannability.py`, so if layout changes the
 test fails and this table gets revisited.
 
+A scheme in the base (`https://sngn.top/i/` rather than `SNGN.TOP/I/`) is worth having,
+since phones then offer to open the code instead of showing it as text. It costs one QR
+version, though, and in the 12mm presets the QR shares its row with the text. Pay for it
+with `render.qr_quiet_zone`:
+
+| Base on the `part` preset, 12mm | quiet zone 4 | 3 | 2 |
+|---|:--:|:--:|:--:|
+| `SNGN.TOP/I/` | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
+| `https://sngn.top/i/` | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
+
+That is the degraded read again. At 2 the prefixed code is back to 3px per module and
+physically larger than the bare one at 4. Pinned in the same test file.
+
 ## Layout
 
 | Package | What |
diff --git a/deploy/agent.toml.example b/deploy/agent.toml.example
index a97b2f1..744ca97 100644
--- a/deploy/agent.toml.example
+++ b/deploy/agent.toml.example
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ separator_mm = 2.0
 [render]
 # A short redirector buys back QR module size; encode a token, not a full URL.
 qr_base_url = ""
+# QR quiet zone in modules; the spec asks for 4. A base with a scheme
+# (https://...) makes the code one version bigger, and on 12mm tape that only
+# survives a phone-camera read at 2. Leave it at 4 for a bare base.
+qr_quiet_zone = 4
 threshold = 128
 
 [spool]
diff --git a/src/labelfab/agent/config.py b/src/labelfab/agent/config.py
index 1d37230..8967e82 100644
--- a/src/labelfab/agent/config.py
+++ b/src/labelfab/agent/config.py
@@ -158,6 +158,12 @@ class StripSection(BaseModel):
 
 class RenderSection(BaseModel):
     qr_base_url: str = ""
+    #: QR quiet zone in modules. The spec asks for 4, and 4 is right for a bare code.
+    #: A base URL with a scheme (``https://...``) is what lowering it pays for: that
+    #: payload is one QR version larger, and in the 12mm presets the QR shares its row
+    #: with the text, so at 4 it drops to 2px per module. 3 still lands on 2px; 2 brings
+    #: it back to 3px, with the code physically larger than a bare one at 4.
+    qr_quiet_zone: int = Field(default=4, ge=1, le=8)
     threshold: int = Field(default=128, ge=0, le=255)
 
 
diff --git a/src/labelfab/agent/worker.py b/src/labelfab/agent/worker.py
index c57cce7..e0e2470 100644
--- a/src/labelfab/agent/worker.py
+++ b/src/labelfab/agent/worker.py
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ def __init__(
     def _render_cfg(self) -> RenderConfig:
         return RenderConfig(
             qr_base_url=self.config.render.qr_base_url,
+            qr_quiet_zone=self.config.render.qr_quiet_zone,
             threshold=self.config.render.threshold,
             rotation=self.config.tape.rotation,
             mirror=self.config.tape.mirror,
diff --git a/src/labelfab/cli.py b/src/labelfab/cli.py
index 0bd7a3d..3aff739 100644
--- a/src/labelfab/cli.py
+++ b/src/labelfab/cli.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ def _load_job(path: str) -> PrintJob:
 def _config(args) -> RenderConfig:
     return RenderConfig(
         qr_base_url=args.qr_base_url,
+        qr_quiet_zone=args.qr_quiet_zone,
         threshold=args.threshold,
         rotation=args.rotation,
         mirror=args.mirror,
@@ -277,6 +278,14 @@ def cmd_probe(args) -> int:
 def _add_render_flags(p: argparse.ArgumentParser) -> None:
     p.add_argument("job", help="path to a job JSON file, or - for stdin")
     p.add_argument("--qr-base-url", default="", help="prefix codes with a short-link base")
+    p.add_argument(
+        "--qr-quiet-zone",
+        type=int,
+        default=4,
+        choices=range(1, 9),
+        metavar="{1..8}",
+        help="QR quiet zone in modules (spec: 4)",
+    )
     p.add_argument("--threshold", type=int, default=128, help="1-bit cutoff (0-255)")
     p.add_argument("--rotation", type=int, default=270, choices=[0, 90, 180, 270])
     p.add_argument("--mirror", action="store_true")
diff --git a/src/labelfab/render/__init__.py b/src/labelfab/render/__init__.py
index 3950c5a..fc32145 100644
--- a/src/labelfab/render/__init__.py
+++ b/src/labelfab/render/__init__.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ class RenderConfig:
     """Render-side knobs. Everything here is hardware- or taste-dependent."""
 
     qr_base_url: str = ""
+    qr_quiet_zone: int = 4
     threshold: int = 128
     rotation: int = 270
     mirror: bool = False
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ class RenderConfig:
 
 def _tree(label: LabelSpec, cfg: RenderConfig) -> Box:
     if label.preset is not None:
-        ctx = _presets.PresetContext(qr_base_url=cfg.qr_base_url)
+        ctx = _presets.PresetContext(qr_base_url=cfg.qr_base_url, qr_quiet_zone=cfg.qr_quiet_zone)
         return _presets.get(label.preset)(label.vars, ctx)
     children = list(label.elements or [])
     if len(children) == 1 and isinstance(children[0], Box):
diff --git a/src/labelfab/render/presets.py b/src/labelfab/render/presets.py
index f13a1dd..26c22ba 100644
--- a/src/labelfab/render/presets.py
+++ b/src/labelfab/render/presets.py
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@
 class PresetContext:
     """Render-side configuration a preset may consult."""
 
-    def __init__(self, qr_base_url: str = "") -> None:
+    def __init__(self, qr_base_url: str = "", qr_quiet_zone: int = 4) -> None:
         self.qr_base_url = qr_base_url
+        self.qr_quiet_zone = qr_quiet_zone
 
     def qr_value(self, code: str) -> str:
         """Prefer a short redirector: QR module size, not capacity, is the limit.
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ def qr_caption(v: Mapping[str, str], ctx: PresetContext) -> Box:
         direction="row",
         gap_mm=1.0,
         children=[
-            QrElement(value=ctx.qr_value(_g(v, "code", "pk"))),
+            QrElement(value=ctx.qr_value(_g(v, "code", "pk")), quiet_zone=ctx.qr_quiet_zone),
             Box(
                 direction="col",
                 align="start",
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ def location(v: Mapping[str, str], ctx: PresetContext) -> Box:
                     ),
                 ],
             ),
-            QrElement(value=ctx.qr_value(_g(v, "code", "pk"))),
+            QrElement(value=ctx.qr_value(_g(v, "code", "pk")), quiet_zone=ctx.qr_quiet_zone),
         ],
     )
 
diff --git a/tests/test_agent_config.py b/tests/test_agent_config.py
index 8195462..97e59e6 100644
--- a/tests/test_agent_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_agent_config.py
@@ -64,3 +64,28 @@ def test_an_unknown_density_is_rejected_at_load():
 
     with pytest.raises(ValidationError, match="not one of"):
         DeviceSection(density=3)
+
+
+def test_qr_quiet_zone_defaults_to_the_spec_and_reaches_the_renderer(tmp_path, harness):
+    """A value that stopped at the config section would still print at 4, so check it
+    arrives in the RenderConfig the worker hands to the renderer."""
+    assert Config().render.qr_quiet_zone == 4
+
+    toml = tmp_path / "agent.toml"
+    toml.write_text("[render]\nqr_quiet_zone = 2\n")
+    assert load(toml).render.qr_quiet_zone == 2
+
+    h = harness()
+    h.config.render.qr_quiet_zone = 2
+    assert h.worker._render_cfg().qr_quiet_zone == 2
+
+
+def test_a_quiet_zone_outside_the_contract_is_rejected_at_load():
+    import pytest
+    from pydantic import ValidationError
+
+    from labelfab.agent.config import RenderSection
+
+    for bad in (0, 9):
+        with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
+            RenderSection(qr_quiet_zone=bad)
diff --git a/tests/test_render.py b/tests/test_render.py
index 86c346d..4599977 100644
--- a/tests/test_render.py
+++ b/tests/test_render.py
@@ -110,6 +110,15 @@ def test_qr_base_url_is_applied_by_presets():
     assert plain.tobytes() != prefixed.tobytes()
 
 
+def test_qr_quiet_zone_is_applied_by_presets():
+    spec = LabelSpec(preset="part", vars={"code": "PA39", "title": "t"}, length_mm=30)
+    spec_default = render_label(spec, TAPE_12, RenderConfig(qr_base_url="https://sngn.top/i/"))
+    tighter = render_label(
+        spec, TAPE_12, RenderConfig(qr_base_url="https://sngn.top/i/", qr_quiet_zone=2)
+    )
+    assert spec_default.tobytes() != tighter.tobytes()
+
+
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
 # Barcode
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
diff --git a/tests/test_scannability.py b/tests/test_scannability.py
index a37379e..ff76578 100644
--- a/tests/test_scannability.py
+++ b/tests/test_scannability.py
@@ -97,6 +97,32 @@ def test_qr_still_decodes_at_phone_camera_resolution(payload):
 ]
 
 
+#: A scheme in the short-link base is paid for in quiet zone. Measured on the part
+#: preset at 12mm, where the QR shares its row with the text: the prefixed payload is
+#: one QR version bigger, so at the spec's 4 modules it drops to 2px per module and
+#: fails a degraded read. 3 does not help. 2 brings it back to 3px. The bare base
+#: survives at any setting, which is why 4 stays the default.
+PRESET_QUIET_ZONE = [
+    ("SNGN.TOP/I/", 4, True),
+    ("https://sngn.top/i/", 4, False),
+    ("https://sngn.top/i/", 3, False),
+    ("https://sngn.top/i/", 2, True),
+]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(("base", "quiet_zone", "survives_degraded"), PRESET_QUIET_ZONE)
+def test_a_scheme_in_the_base_costs_two_quiet_zone_modules(base, quiet_zone, survives_degraded):
+    cfg = RenderConfig(qr_base_url=base, qr_quiet_zone=quiet_zone)
+    label = LabelSpec(
+        preset="part",
+        vars={"code": "PA39", "title": "INV-PA39 · A1533", "sub": "iPhone 5s"},
+        length_mm=30,
+    )
+    img = _through_the_wire(label, TAPE_12, cfg)
+    assert _decode(img) == f"{base}PA39", "should always decode at 1:1"
+    assert (_decode(_as_phone_camera(img)) == f"{base}PA39") is survives_degraded
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(("tape_mm", "payload", "survives_degraded"), DENSITY_CLIFF)
 def test_density_cliff_is_where_we_think_it_is(tape_mm, payload, survives_degraded):
     """Pin the payload lengths that survive a degraded scan on each tape width.