QR labels for equipment: what to print and where to stick it
What a QR label for equipment should show, which label material lasts where, where to place it on each item, and how scanning and printing fit together.
The short answer
Put a short code that never changes on the label, as a QR code and as printed text, with your company name. Use a material that survives the place, stick it in the same spot on every item, and test a scan first.
What should a QR label show?
A good label shows four things: the QR code, the same code printed as text, your company name and, if there is room, a short item name. Everything else belongs in the item's record, not on the label.
The printed text is important. If the code gets scratched, people can still read the number aloud on the phone or look it up by hand.
Keep these off the label:
- Anything that changes, such as the holder's name, the site or the next service date. The label would soon be wrong.
- Anything sensitive, such as passwords, network details or prices.
- Meaning that can expire. A code like SITE2-DRILL-07 is wrong the day the drill moves to another site. A short prefix for the kind of item is fine, because a drill stays a drill.
The code should point to the record, not carry it. A code that holds only the item's number keeps working while the details change.
Size follows distance. A code that people scan from arm's length can be small, while one read from across a yard must be larger. Small items such as phones need small labels, so check that a small code still scans with the phones your team uses.
Should you use a QR code or a barcode?
Both work, but they suit different jobs. A QR code is a small square that holds more characters than a line barcode of the same size. It can be read from any angle, and its built-in error correction lets it survive some scratches. A line barcode is long and narrow, which suits the thin edge of a shelf or a tool handle.
Many products already carry a barcode from the maker. A product barcode names the model, not your item, so two identical drills share it. Give every item its own label, so you can tell them apart.
Which label material should you use?
Choose the material for the hardest place the item goes, not the easiest. A drill that lives in a van needs the same label as one on a building site.
| Material | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | Indoor items that rarely move, and test runs | Tears, fades and soaks up water |
| Laminated paper or polyester | Office equipment, laptops and shelves | Struggles on rough or oily surfaces |
| Vinyl | Curved surfaces, tools and outdoor use | Cheaper grades fade in strong sun |
| Tamper-evident vinyl | Laptops and items that tend to go missing | Breaks apart or leaves a mark when peeled off, so it cannot be moved |
| Anodised aluminium | Machines, vehicles, heat, sun and washing | Costs more, and usually comes from a specialist supplier |
Preparation matters as much as the material. Clean the surface with cleaning alcohol and let it dry. Press the label down firmly, from the middle outwards. Give the adhesive time to settle before the item goes back to work.
Where should you put the label?
Put it in the same spot on every item of the same type. People learn where to look, and checks go faster.
- Choose a flat, clean surface that you can see without moving, opening or unplugging the item.
- Keep away from heat, moving parts and places where hands, straps or lifting gear rub.
- Never cover the maker's rating plate, the serial number or a safety sign.
- On cordless tools, label the tool body, not the battery, because batteries move between tools.
- On laptops, use the base, away from vents and rubber feet.
- On machines, put one label near the operator's seat, where hour readings are taken. Add a second one outside if you check the yard on foot.
- On kits, label the case and each part that can travel alone.
For machine records and hour readings, read the guide to tracking machines, hours and fuel.
How does scanning work?
Scanning should take a person from the item to its record in seconds, wherever they stand. Build it into the moments when people already handle the item: check-out and check-in, a service, a stock count, a yearly check.
Test before you print a whole batch. Scan a sample label from the distance and angle people will really use, in the light of the place where the item lives. Glossy laminate can reflect strong light, and a dark store may need the phone's torch.
In TagOrbit you scan a barcode or a QR code with the camera of a phone or a computer to find a record. TagOrbit runs in the browser, so there is no app to install on the phones that scan.
How do you print labels?
A sheet of labels from an office printer is fine for indoor items. Tougher materials usually need a label printer or a specialist supplier. Whatever you use, follow the same steps:
- Make sure every item is in your register, with its code, before you start.
- Choose the size and material for each kind of item, using the material comparison earlier in this guide.
- Print one test label, and scan it at the real distance. Check that the text is easy to read.
- Print in batches, sorted by place, in the order you will walk round.
- Stick each label, then scan it straight away to check that it finds the right record.
- Keep spare labels. When a label is damaged, print the same code again, never a new one.
Label each new item on the day it arrives, at the same moment it gets its record. An item that goes into use without a label is easy to forget. Keep blank labels, and the label printer if you use one, where deliveries come in.
In TagOrbit you print labels from the application. If your list still lives in a spreadsheet, start with the guide to moving from a spreadsheet to a proper register.
How do you keep labels working?
Labels wear out, so look at them during every stock count or yearly check. Replace any label that is faded, peeling or slow to scan, and print the same code again. When an item leaves for good, remove or cover its label, so nobody scans something that is no longer yours. Keep the record, though: its history still matters.
Where does TagOrbit fit?
TagOrbit links each label to everything behind it. Scan a code with a phone or computer camera, and you find the record with its holder, its service dates and its full history. It runs in the browser, and you print labels from the application. Create your TagOrbit account and label your first shelf of equipment.