Labels, barcodes and scanning
Print barcode and QR labels on sheets or label rolls, and scan with a phone camera or scanner to sell, put away, find and count stock by bin.
What it is
Inventory › Labels prints barcode or QR labels for products and shelves — on A4 or US Letter label sheets or on a label-printer roll. You choose the items and how many of each, then print, save a PDF, or send ZPL to a Zebra printer.
Barcodes are then read wherever you pick a product: on the till, in sales orders and pick sheets, and in every document's item box. With Bins & scanning switched on, Inventory › Scan turns a phone into a warehouse scanner for putting away, finding and counting stock.
Who it is for
- Shops that price-label goods and sell with a scanner
- Warehouses that label shelves and bins
- Receiving staff labelling incoming lots with their expiry
- Teams counting stock with a phone instead of paper
Before you start#
- Give each variant a Barcode on the product (or let the label use the SKU).
- Anyone who may see products can print labels; there is no separate labels right.
- For Scan and Bins, switch on Bins & scanning in Settings › Business setup.
Step by step#
- Open Inventory › Labels, or choose Print labels from a product's row menu.
- Under Add an item, type a product name or code; each match becomes a line.
- Set the quantity for each line, or use Quantities: One each or On hand.
- Choose the Label stock (sheet or roll).
- Under On the label, tick what to print and choose the code type.
- If you print on a part-used sheet, set Start at label.
- Check the Preview, then choose Print, PDF or ZPL.
Label options#
Label stock
Sheets: A4 with 21, 24, 40 or 14 labels (including Avery L7160 and L7163 sizes) and US Letter with 30 labels (Avery 5160). Rolls: 50 × 25 mm, 38 × 25 mm, 58 × 40 mm and 2 × 1 in (Dymo / Zebra). The preview is true to size, so a printed page lands on the die-cut labels.
What can go on a label
Business name, Item name, Variant (size, colour), SKU, Barcode number, Price, Cost code (cipher), Lot and expiry, Serial number and Rack / bin. Price shows as lets you print the price or the MRP.
Code types
Auto prints EAN-13 or UPC-A when the code is one, and Code 128 otherwise. You can also choose Code 128, Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, EAN-13, UPC-A, QR code, or no code (text only). A code that is not valid for the chosen type is printed in a type that fits, with a warning.
Labels from a receipt
From a goods receipt, Received quantities fill in what arrived, and lot, expiry and serial labels come from the receipt's lines.
Zebra printers
ZPL produces Zebra Programming Language for roll labels at 203 or 300 dpi, so the printer draws the barcodes itself.
Scanning#
Any USB or Bluetooth scanner that types like a keyboard works in the item boxes of the till, sales orders, pick sheets and documents, which search by barcode and SKU. A merged product's old barcode still finds the product you kept.
Bins and the Scan screen
Inventory › Bins holds the shelves, racks and slots inside each location, with their paths, barcodes, capacity and labels. Bins always add up to the location: what no bin holds is Unassigned, where goods arrive until they are put away.
Inventory › Scan has three tabs, using the phone camera or a scanner:
- Put away — scan the item, then the bin (the suggestion is its home bin, or where it already is), and the quantity.
- Find — scan an item to see which bins hold it.
- Count — choose the open stock count, then scan each bin and item and enter what is there; the count sheet adds the bins up.
GS1 codes that carry a GTIN, lot, expiry or quantity are read in one scan.
How it posts to the books#
Printing labels posts nothing. Moving stock between bins changes no value and posts no journal; each move is recorded in the bin history.
Limits and what is not there yet#
- Camera scanning needs a browser that supports barcode detection; otherwise use a scanner.
- Managing bins needs access to the Locations settings page; putting away needs the add right on stock adjustments.
Questions#
Can I print labels without barcodes on my products?
Yes. Choose a code type and the SKU is used, or choose No code (text only) for shelf or price labels.
Which printer do I need?
Any office printer for label sheets, a thermal or Dymo printer for rolls, or a Zebra printer for ZPL.
Can we count stock with phones?
Yes, with Bins & scanning on: start a count, then use Inventory › Scan › Count on each phone.