QR codes and labels
QR code labels for cable samples.
A QR code on the sample takes your customer to that exact cable's page with one scan, and you print the labels for it yourself.
Who it's forFor sales, sample shipping, and the trade show team of a cable manufacturer.
In short
- One permanent QR code per cable
- Five templates, from sample to drum
- Printable PDF, no credits
- Every scan is counted
What is a QR code label from the portal?
What it is
A QR code label is a sticker with a permanent code that leads to the page of exactly one cable.
You can't generate a code for just any address. Every code belongs to a target in the portal, and every target has exactly one code. The portal lays out the label around it from a template.
Four pairs of code and page: a cable's code opens the cable's page, the catalog's code opens its home page, a showcase's code opens the showcase, and a kit's code opens the kit.
CableThe cable's page
CatalogThe catalog's home page
ShowcaseThe shared showcase
KitThe shared kit
Key terms
- Target
- What a code belongs to: a cable, your catalog, a showcase, or a kit.
- Showcase and kit
- A showcase is a selection of cables for one customer. A kit is a package of files to download.
- Short link
- The short address encoded in the code and printed on the label. It redirects to the target's page.
- Template
- A ready-made layout: sample label, hang tag, sample card, trade show sign, or drum label.
- Scan
- Someone opens the short link through the code. The portal counts every scan.
How does the label get onto my sample?
How it works
You choose a cable and a template, print the PDF, and apply the label; the scan does the rest.
The example shows a label for a cable sample. The process is the same for the catalog, a showcase, or a kit.
The process in six steps along one line: you choose a cable and a template. The portal lays out the sheet. You print the PDF and apply the label. Your customer scans the code. The portal redirects and counts.
YouThe portalYour customer
YouChoose cable and template
The portalLay out the sheet
YouPrint the PDF
YouApply the label
Your customerScan the code
The portalRedirect and count
Step by step
- Step 1 of 6: You
Choose cable and template
On the cable's page, you open “QR code & labels” and choose the template and format. If you need labels for several cables, select them in the overview instead.
- Step 2 of 6: The portal
Lay out the sheet
The portal creates the code and places the logo, name, and designation. The preview shows the first page exactly as it will print.
- Step 3 of 6: You
Print the PDF
You download the PDF and print it at actual size. For a partly used sheet, you specify the first free label.
- Step 4 of 6: You
Apply the label
The label goes on the sample, the hang tag on the coil, and the large label on the drum.
- Step 5 of 6: Your customer
Scan the code
Your customer points their phone camera at the code. Anyone who cannot scan types in the short link.
- Step 6 of 6: The portal
Redirect and count
The portal redirects to the cable's page in your catalog and counts the scan.
What happens after the scan
Your customer lands on the page for that one cable without searching, with images, technical data, and the datasheet. In the overview, you see each code's scans from the last 30 days and the date of the last scan.
QR code on the cable sample
- A QR code label goes on the cable sample.
- The customer scans it with a phone.
- They land right on this cable's page in the catalog.
More on this What the analytics show your sales team →
What is on a label?
What is on the label
The sample label shows the code, your logo, the cable's name, its designation, and the short link.
The larger templates add an image and the key technical data. If your catalog has several languages, you choose the label's language.
What the numbers show
The code
It belongs permanently to this cable and is encoded so that it still scans when scuffed.
Your logo
It sits beside the code, never in the middle of it. Without a logo, your company name appears there.
The cable's name
The portal wraps long names and shrinks them until they fit.
Designation or size
If you choose a size, it is printed on the label with its part number.
The short link
It is printed in full below the name, so it can be typed in without a camera.
Which template do I use for what?
The five templates compared
The small label goes on the sample, hang tag and drum label on the goods, and card and sign on table and booth.
Every template carries the same code for the cable. So you can label a sample and also print a sign for the trade show.
The five templates, each as a small drawing: the sample label with code and name, the hang tag with a hole, the sample card with an image, the trade show sign with a large image, and the drum label with write-in lines.
Sample labelCable samples
Hang tagSample reels and coils
Sample cardSample folder, table, and shipping
Trade show signBooth and showroom
Drum labelDrums and coils in the warehouse
| Template | Used for | Format | What's on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample label | Cable samples | Label sheet in A4 or US Letter, or single labels for a label printer | Code, logo, name, designation, short link |
| Hang tag | Sample reels and coils | Single or several per A4 sheet, with front and back | Code and name on the front; image, key data, and contact on the back |
| Sample card | Sample folder, table, and shipping | A6, single or several per A4 sheet | Image, key data, and code |
| Trade show sign | Booth and showroom | A4 or A3, also with bleed for a print shop | Large image, cross-section drawing, key data, and code |
| Drum label | Drums and coils in the warehouse | A5 landscape, single or in pairs on A4 | Key data, code, and lines for length, batch, and date |
What do I gain, and where are the limits?
Advantages and limits
The code stays valid and the label practically makes itself, but the code knows only the cable, not the individual piece.
Advantages
A code that lasts
The code belongs permanently to its cable. It keeps working when the cable's name or address changes.
No layout to build
You choose a template. The portal places the logo, name, designation, and code.
Fits store-bought sheets
The sheets match the dimensions of standard label sheets in A4 and US Letter. The portal tells you what each format fits.
A warning before you print
The portal tells you if a cable is not published yet or the code would be too small.
Scans are counted
For each cable, you see whether and when it was last scanned. Counting works without cookies.
Just the code, too
For a design of your own, you download the code by itself as a file.
Limits
No switching targets
A code always leads to its cable. You cannot redirect it to another page.
Deleted means not found
If you delete the cable or withdraw a showcase, the scan shows “not found.”
No code per size
The catalog has one page per cable. A label with a size leads to its cable's page.
No logo inside the code
A logo in the middle makes the code harder to read. That is why it sits beside the code.
Files in RGB only
The PDF is set up in RGB. A print shop converts it to CMYK itself.
The short link is the portal's
Even if you use your own domain, the label shows the portal's address. That way, the sticker survives a change of domain.
You print the stickers yourself
The portal provides the PDF. Finished stickers do not arrive by mail.
Not the right tool if:
- You need a code that leads to any address you like; there are no free-form codes here.
- You want to track every individual drum or batch; the code knows the cable, not the piece.
- You don't want your cables in a public catalog.
How is this different from a sample without a code or a code from the internet?
Compared with today
Without a code, your customer has to search or call; a freely generated code dies as soon as the address changes.
A sample often sits on a desk for weeks. After that, the sticker decides whether anyone can find the cable again.
A sample with a handwritten note and a customer who doesn't know which cable it is. By contrast, the same sample with a QR code label and a phone showing the cable's page.
Until now
Sample without a code
Getting the informationCall or search the website
With a label
Label from the portal
Getting the informationOne scan, straight to the cable's page
| Aspect | Sample without a code | Code from a free generator | Label from the portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting the information | Call or search the website | One scan, as long as the address is right | One scan, straight to the cable's page |
| When the address changes | There is no address | The printed code leads nowhere | The code stays valid |
| The label | Written by hand | Generate a code, build the layout yourself | Choose a template, print the PDF |
| Details on the label | Whatever someone writes down | Whatever someone types in | Name and designation from the portal |
| Was it scanned? | You never find out | Only with a separate service | Scans per cable in the overview |
What do I need, and what does it cost?
What you need and what it costs
You need your cables in the portal, a printer, and label paper; codes and PDFs cost no credits.
What you need
Your cables in the portal
A code is created on its cable. We build the cables from your construction data.
A published cable
Before the cable is published, a scan shows “Not published yet.” The code stays valid and leads to the page after that.
Printer and paper
An office printer with label sheets or a label printer is all you need. Print at actual size, not scaled to fit the page.
A team member
Any member of your team can print labels. Guests, such as an agency, cannot.
What it costs
Creating codes, laying out labels, and downloading PDFs cost no credits. You pay for paper and printing yourself. Your plan determines how many cables you can publish.
What else do people ask?
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people still have before the first sheet.
- What paper do the labels fit?
- Standard label sheets in A4 and US Letter; for each format, the portal tells you what it fits. The PDF is a vector file for office and label printers.
- What does someone see when they scan a cable that is not published yet?
- A friendly page saying that the cable is not published yet, with a link to the catalog.
- Does a printed code stay valid?
- As long as the cable exists, yes. The code belongs permanently to its cable and cannot be switched to another target.
- Can a print shop use the files?
- Yes. The trade show sign comes with bleed and crop marks. The files are set up in RGB; the print shop converts them to CMYK itself.
- What does the portal store about the person who scans?
- Counting works without cookies, and the IP address is not stored. The portal records the scan, the hour, and the device type.
- What about codes we created earlier?
- They keep working and counting. The overview lists them under “Older codes”; new codes are now created only on their target.