Asset Tag Generator

What an asset tag needs

A number you can read from across the room, the owner's name so a found laptop comes back, and a code that opens the record faster than typing. The number is the key in your register; the code is the shortcut. Small tags on Avery 5160 fit a laptop lid or a drill; the large L7165 tags suit machines, cabinets and racks where the code is scanned from a distance.

This page makes the file. Scanely does not print or sell labels: you print the PDF on label sheets at the office, or send it to a print shop for polyester, tamper-evident or metal-look labels in the same layout.

Link pattern or number only

With a link pattern, every code opens its own record. Put {number} where the tag number belongs, for example https://inventory.example.com/assets/{number} or https://helpdesk.example.com/new?asset={number}; without the placeholder the number is added at the end of the link. The pattern must be public and https. Keep it short: a long address makes a dense code, and the check under the form tells you when the modules get too small for the sheet.

With number only, the code carries the plain number, IT-0042 and nothing else. Inventory apps and barcode scanners read it straight into a field, which is what most audit workflows expect.

Sheets and printing

One tag per label, row by row, a new page after each full sheet. Print at 100%, never fit to page, run the first page on plain paper and hold it against the sheet. Avery and compatible brands sell these layouts as paper, removable, weatherproof and polyester labels; a laptop or a tool wants a polyester label, a shelf is fine with paper. Avery is a trademark of its owner; Scanely is not affiliated with Avery. The QR code label maker prints a list of different links or texts on the same sheets, including the printer offset for a stubborn printer.

The register

The CSV has one row per tag: the number and what the code contains. Import it into your spreadsheet or inventory software before you stick the tags on, then fill in the item, the location and the person as you go. Keep the series unique: start the next batch where the last one ended.

Tags that must stay editable

These tags are static: the link or the number is printed into the pattern, and a static code cannot follow a record that moves to another system. For a fleet that will outlive your current tool, create dynamic codes first: Dashboard, QR codes, Bulk takes a CSV (paid plans, up to 1,000 rows), gives every row a short link you can redirect later and a scan count, and each code can open an Equipment card page with the location, the serial number, the check dates, the manual as a hosted PDF and a fault report form. Export the short links and print them with the label maker, using the asset number as the caption. The Free plan includes three dynamic codes; Starter is $9 per month for 50 codes, Business has no code limit.

Scanely is not an inventory system. It makes the tags, hosts the pages and counts the scans; the register, the audits and the depreciation stay in your spreadsheet or inventory app. For the inspection sticker that goes next to the tag, with lines for the last and next check, use the service reminder stickers.