Custom Asset Tags and QR Labels
Free asset tag maker: design a scan-safe QR asset tag in your browser and download it as PNG, SVG or PDF. Print it yourself or order durable printed labels, then track every tagged item in Shelf. No signup.
1. Asset Details
2. Configuration
Preview (40mm)
Scale: 85% (Actual export is 300dpi)
For dedicated thermal printers (Dymo, Zebra, Brother).
Outputs a 1:1, size-accurate 40mm page.
Three ways to get asset tags
Pick by how many items you have, how hard they are used, and whether you already have labels on them.
1. Design and print them here
Use the designer above: enter an asset ID and, if you like, a name; choose 25, 40 or 60 mm; download a PNG, an SVG or a size-accurate PDF for a label printer. It makes one tag at a time. For a full sheet of numbered labels, use the Barcode Generator, which does QR codes in bulk on Avery sheets.
2. Order printed labels
The Shelf store sells laminated PVC QR labels, unbranded or with your logo. Each carries a unique Shelf QR code that is linked to nothing until you scan it in Shelf and attach it to a new or existing asset. They are made for Shelf and work only with Shelf.
Visit the label store3. Keep the tags you have
Moving from a spreadsheet or another system? You don't have to re-tag. Shelf's Alternative Barcodes add-on (Team plan) attaches the codes already on your equipment to each asset and scans them: Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, Data Matrix and QR codes made elsewhere, including tags printed with this designer.
What to put on an asset tag
- A unique ID in plain text, such as AST-0042. It is what people read out, type into a search, or write on a form when a scan fails.
- A QR code or barcode that encodes that ID, or a link to the item's record. Black on white, with a clear margin around the code.
- Your organization's name or a “Property of” line, so a found item can be returned and nobody mistakes it for personal property.
- Optional: a contact line, such as an IT or facilities email address.
Leave off anything that changes: who has the item, where it lives, its value. That belongs in your records, where you can update it without reprinting. For a numbering scheme that scales, what government property tags need, and where to put a tag on a laptop, camera or tool, read our guide to asset tags.
Choosing a label: sticker, laminated or metal
Paper stickers
The cheapest option, printed on label sheets in an office printer. Fine for boxes, shelves, bins and items that are rarely touched. On anything handled or wiped daily, paper scuffs, smudges and peels within months. Synthetic label stock (polyester or vinyl) lasts much longer and runs through the same printers.
Laminated labels
A clear layer over the print protects it from scratches, water, cleaning and sunlight. The right choice for laptops, cameras, AV gear, tools and lab equipment. This is what the Shelf store sells: laminated PVC QR labels, resistant to UV, water and scratches.
Metal tags
Anodized aluminium or stainless steel tags survive heat, solvents, outdoor weather and heavy machinery, and are hard to remove. They cost more and come from specialist makers; the Shelf store does not sell them. Choose metal when a laminated label would be scraped off or eaten by chemicals, not for office equipment.
For a material-by-environment breakdown, see choosing a material in the asset tags guide.
Rather not print them yourself?
Order laminated PVC QR asset labels from the Shelf store: square 15, 20 or 25 mm, or rectangular 15 × 30 mm, in sheets of 35 to 96. Choose unbranded labels or add your logo. They work with Shelf: scan a label to create an asset or link it to one you already have.
Printing asset tags yourself
Thermal label printers
Dymo, Zebra and Brother printers print one label at a time from a roll. Use Label Printer PDF in the designer: it is a page exactly the size of the label. Direct thermal labels fade in sun and heat; thermal transfer printing with a ribbon lasts much longer.
Office printers and label sheets
Any laser or inkjet printer works with adhesive label sheets; laser print resists smudging better. Place the PNG or SVG in your label software, or let the Barcode Generator lay out a whole Avery sheet of QR codes from a number sequence or a CSV.
Test before the batch
Print at 100% (“Actual size”) with “Fit to page” off. Print one label, then scan it with a phone camera or our QR Code Scanner from a normal distance before you print and stick a hundred.
Which size?
- 25 mm: phones, hand tools and small peripherals. Tight for long IDs.
- 40 mm: the common choice for laptops, monitors, furniture and office equipment.
- 60 mm: flight cases, server racks, machinery and shelving, where people scan from further away.
Rules the designer follows
- Black on white only. Scanners read high contrast best.
- A clear margin around the code, so nearby text or an edge doesn't confuse the scanner. Don't crop it.
- The ID in plain text under the code, for when a scan fails.
Need colours or a different pixel size? Try the QR Code Generator.
Track what you tag
A tag tells you what an item is. It can't tell you who has it, where it is or when it's due back. In Shelf, every asset gets its own QR code the moment you add it: scan it with a phone to open the asset's page and see who has it, where it is kept and its history. Download one label from an asset's page, or many at once from the asset list.
Shelf's free plan includes unlimited assets for 1 user. Labels from the Shelf store link to your assets the first time you scan them.
FAQ
What should an asset tag include?
A unique asset ID printed in plain text, a QR code or barcode that encodes that ID (or a link to the item's record), and your organization's name or "Property of" line. A short contact line, such as an email or phone number for returns, is optional but helps lost items find their way back. Keep anything that changes, like the user or the location, off the tag and in your records.
What's the difference between an asset tag and an asset label?
In practice the words mean the same thing: a physical marker with a unique ID stuck or fixed to equipment you own. Some people use "tag" for durable metal or riveted plates and "label" for adhesive stickers, but search engines, suppliers and software use both terms for both.
Can I print asset tags on a normal printer?
Yes. Print on adhesive label sheets with an office laser or inkjet printer, or use a thermal label printer such as a Dymo, Zebra or Brother. Print at 100% scale ("Actual size") with "Fit to page" turned off, and scan a test print before you print the whole batch. Plain paper labels wear quickly on equipment that is handled every day, so use synthetic label stock or laminated labels for those.
What label material lasts longest?
Metal tags, such as anodized aluminium, last longest and survive heat, solvents and outdoor use. For laptops, cameras, tools and office equipment, laminated labels are usually enough: the clear layer protects the print from scratches, water and cleaning. Paper labels are the shortest-lived and suit boxes, shelves and low-handling items.
Can I use QR codes for asset tags?
Yes, and for most teams they are the easiest choice: any phone camera can scan them, they still read when part of the code is scratched, and they can hold a link to the item's record. This designer always uses the highest error correction level. Keep the plain-text ID next to the code so people can type it when a scan fails.
Can I keep the asset tags we already have?
Yes. If you track your equipment in Shelf, the Alternative Barcodes add-on (Team plan) lets you attach the codes already on your equipment to each asset and scan them: Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, Data Matrix and QR codes made outside Shelf. You don't have to re-tag anything.
Do I need software to use asset tags?
Not to print them. A tag with an ID and a spreadsheet works for a small, stable list. Software matters once you need to know who has an item, where it is and when it's due back, because the tag only identifies the item. Shelf's free plan covers unlimited assets for 1 user, and every asset gets its own QR code.
Ready to organize your assets?
Join thousands of teams who trust Shelf to manage their physical assets. Free forever, or try the Team plan free for 7 days.
Out in the field? Shelf Companion is free on iPhone & Android.