You already have the rack map. It lives in a workbook called something like LAYOUTFINALv7.xlsx. Ground floor on the left, first floor on the right, cells like GA-A-01. That file is enough to label the building.
This is the walkthrough we use on warehouse rack QR labels: detect the grid, print for the scan distance you actually have, and optionally make each code a check-in link so agency staff do not install another app.
1. Leave the spreadsheet messy
Do not rebuild it as a database. Useful inputs:
- A grid: each non-empty cell is a location; a heading row (“GROUND FLOOR”) becomes the sub-label
- A table: columns such as
Location,Zone,Check-in URL
If locations are sequential, a fill-down in Excel is faster than any form.
GROUND FLOOR FIRST FLOOR
GA-A-01 GA-B-01 GA-C-01 FA-A-01 FA-B-01
GA-A-02 GA-B-02 GA-C-02 FA-A-02 FA-B-02A two-floor slotted-angle layout at 6 bays × 9 levels × 2 floors is 108 locations per aisle block; ten aisle blocks is ~1,000 labels. The free bulk tool exports the first 100 in the browser; a workspace removes that cap.
2. Upload and check detection
Drop the file below. Tables let you pick which column is encoded. Grids encode every cell. Preview the first labels: if a heading became a QR, you still want it as text on the sticker, not as a scannable “GROUND FLOOR” code — delete those cells or move headings to a merged row the parser treats as context.
3. Size for the worst phone, not the brochure
Scan distance drives print size. From a pallet jack at 1–2 metres you want the QR ≥ 40 mm on the short side, high contrast, quiet zone (empty margin) around the module. A4 with 2 columns × 4 rows is a sane starting grid for rack plates. Thermal 4×6 or 100×150 mm is better in dusty aisles if you already have a Zebra/TSC.
Test on the oldest Android in the building and at an angle. If it fails, the code is too small or the laminate is glossy. Matte polyester outlasts paper when forklifts kiss the corner.
Use the size calculator if you are arguing with a client about “tiny codes on the shelf edge.”
4. Static vs dynamic on a bin
Static encodes the location ID in the pattern. Fine if you only need “this is GA-A-01” in a WMS gun or as text.
Dynamic encodes a short URL. Same printed label can later open audit / check-in / report-issue. Staff use the phone camera. You change the page when you switch WMS without walking 1,800 bins.
Warehouse labels outlive contracts. Do not put them on a host that kills redirects when someone forgets to renew.
5. Stick them where work happens
- Eye height on the aisle side, not on the beam the pallet hides
- One code per pick slot, not one per bay if two SKUs share a bay
- Reprint torn labels with the same short URL so history stays attached
6. A 30-day “not scanned” loop
Once scans hit a workspace, a workflow can ping when a location has not been audited in 30 days. That is cycle count light: you are not claiming WMS-grade inventory, you are proving someone stood at the bin. Pair it with inbound lot capture from the 3PL QR playbook.