How to Tag Assets with QR Code Labels

Equipment without a label cannot be found in the register

A register is only useful if you can match the row to the thing on the desk. Model names repeat, and serial numbers are printed underneath the laptop or behind the machine where nobody reads them.

Home-made stickers with a handwritten number drift away from the register. Two items end up with the same number, or the sticker says one thing and the spreadsheet another.

When someone finds an unfamiliar device in a cupboard, there is no quick way to see what it is, who had it last, or whether it is still under warranty.

Why this happens

• Tag numbers are invented by hand instead of issued by the system.
• Labels carry no machine-readable code, so every lookup is a typed search.
• New equipment goes into use before it is labelled.
• The label format differs between sites and printers.

Biznsbook addresses this through asset tags, QR code labels, scan and look up when Fixed Assets Tracking is licensed. Each physical item has one record with its own tag, and every hand-over, move, status change and note stays on that record.

Registers drift the moment an item changes hands without a record. Making Biznsbook the only place where equipment is registered, labelled and handed over keeps the list true for audits, insurance and everyday questions.

Step-by-step: Tag Assets with QR Code Labels

Built for fixed asset managers, IT coordinators and operations teams who keep track of company equipment in Biznsbook Fixed Assets Tracking.

1. Set the tag format. Open Settings, then Tags & loans. Choose a prefix, the next number and how many digits to use. The preview shows the next tag, for example FA-00001. Changing these never renames existing assets.
2. Register the assets. Receive them from a purchase order, add them by hand or import them. Each asset gets the next tag automatically unless you type the tag already on the item.
3. Select what to label. In the asset register, tick the assets you want to label. After receiving from a purchase order, the new assets are already selected for you.
4. Choose the layout. Use Print labels and choose A4 sheet, which fits common 24-label sheets of three by eight, or Label printer, which prints one 50 by 30 millimetre label per page.
5. Print at actual size. The PDF opens in a new tab. Print at 100 percent so the labels line up with the sheet.
6. Stick and check. Stick each label on its item and scan one with a phone camera. The QR code opens that asset in Biznsbook after sign-in.
7. Look up assets on the floor. Use Scan / look up with a barcode scanner, or type a tag or serial and press Enter. A match opens the asset page.

Review results after the first full monthly cycle. Adjust roles, mappings, or approvals where the same exception repeats.

Screen names in this guide match Fixed Assets Tracking in the product: Dashboard, Asset register, Add asset, Receive from PO, Scan / look up, Import register, Asset types, Disposal methods, and Tags & loans. Every screen has a Help button.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mistake 1: Tag numbers are invented by hand instead of issued by the system. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in overdue loans, assets nobody can find, or an audit list that has to be rebuilt.
• Mistake 2: Labels carry no machine-readable code, so every lookup is a typed search. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in overdue loans, assets nobody can find, or an audit list that has to be rebuilt.
• Mistake 3: New equipment goes into use before it is labelled. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in overdue loans, assets nobody can find, or an audit list that has to be rebuilt.
• Mistake 4: The label format differs between sites and printers. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in overdue loans, assets nobody can find, or an audit list that has to be rebuilt.

Note each recurring gap in the monthly review; each should map to a step in this guide.

Best practices that hold up as you scale

• Set the tag format — Open Settings, then Tags & loans.
• Register the assets — Receive them from a purchase order, add them by hand or import them.
• Select what to label — In the asset register, tick the assets you want to label.
• Choose the layout — Use Print labels and choose A4 sheet, which fits common 24-label sheets of three by eight, or Label printer, which prints one 50 by 30 millimetre label per page.
• Print at actual size — The PDF opens in a new tab.

Teams that register every item once, label it the same day, and record every hand-over as a check-out or check-in can answer who has what at any moment.

How Biznsbook supports this workflow

asset tags is part of Biznsbook Fixed Assets Tracking. Every asset has one record with its tag, serial, cost, vendor, warranty, location and custodian, and every status change, hand-over, move and note is kept in its timeline.

QR code labels is part of Biznsbook Fixed Assets Tracking. Every asset has one record with its tag, serial, cost, vendor, warranty, location and custodian, and every status change, hand-over, move and note is kept in its timeline.

scan and look up is part of Biznsbook Fixed Assets Tracking. Every asset has one record with its tag, serial, cost, vendor, warranty, location and custodian, and every status change, hand-over, move and note is kept in its timeline.

Viewing, managing, receiving, disposing and configuring are separate permissions. A Fixed Assets Clerk can register and hand out equipment but cannot dispose of it or change settings.

Suggested implementation timeline

1. Week 1: Enable Fixed Assets Tracking, assign the Fixed Assets Manager and Clerk roles, and review asset types and the tag format.
2. Week 2: Load existing equipment and start using asset tags for everything new.
3. Week 3: Print and stick labels, then check every asset out to the person or department that uses it.
4. Week 4: Review the dashboard: chase overdue loans, clear Break / Fix items, and fill in missing costs and warranties.
5. Ongoing: Monthly review using keeping tags unique and the dashboard tiles.

Related guides

Start with build a fixed asset register, then import existing assets and tag assets with QR code labels.

Day to day: check equipment out and in and assign assets to employees. Product page: Asset Tracking. Employees: HRMS.

When to print labels

Print labels as soon as assets are registered. After receiving against a purchase order the new assets are already selected in the register, so the next click is Print labels. After an Excel import, filter the register and select the imported assets.

Reprint a single label from the asset page or from the row menu when a label is damaged. The tag does not change, so the new label matches the record.

What is printed on each label

Each label has a QR code, the asset tag in large type, the asset name, the serial number when there is one, and your company name. On the A4 layout a short Property of line is added under the details.

The text is shortened when it is long, so every label keeps the same size and the QR code stays readable.

Three ways to look an asset up

A phone camera pointed at the QR code opens the asset directly. A barcode scanner on Scan / look up types the tag and presses Enter. You can also type a tag or a serial number into the same box.

When nothing matches, the page says so and offers a search of the asset register with the code you entered.

Metrics to track monthly

• Assets without a label or without a custodian
• Loans past their expected return date
• Assets in Break / Fix for more than a month
• Warranties expiring inside the alert window
• Assets registered without a purchase cost

Start with three metrics; trend direction matters more than a single point-in-time snapshot.

Spreadsheet register vs Biznsbook asset tracking

Compare a typical spreadsheet asset list with Biznsbook asset tags and related capabilities.

Keeping tags unique

Tags are issued from one counter per company, and a tag can only be used once. If you type a tag already on an item, the next automatic tag skips it. You can move the counter forward in Tags & loans, but not back onto a tag that is already in use.

Write this into your asset handling procedure and revisit it when you add sites, teams or asset types.

Frequently asked questions

How this differs by industry