One label, one scan, the whole story.
Every item in ItemTally gets a code like IT-000214 and a QR label you can print on Avery A4 sheets or a Brother roll. Scan it with any phone camera, in the browser, and you land on the item with one verb ready: take it, return it, count it.
The jobFind out what something is, who has it and what to do next, by pointing a phone at it.
Avery J8165 · 8 per sheet · start at position 3
Labels that do something when scanned. Item labels open the scan sheet with one verb ready. A shelf label starts or joins the count of that place, and a kit label fills a basket with the whole kit.
How it works
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Codes are made for you
Every item, folder and kit gets its own code the moment it exists. No spreadsheet of asset numbers to maintain, no duplicates to police.
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Print labels for what moves
Pick a template (Avery L7160 with 21 per A4, Avery J8165 with 8 per A4, a 50 × 25 mm tag, or a Brother 62 mm roll), select items and print.
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Reuse codes that are already there
Scan an EAN on a box or a Code 128 serial sticker, and attach it to the item. The manufacturer's barcode now opens your record too.
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Scan in the browser
Open ItemTally on a phone and tap Scan. No app store, no MDM rollout. Any phone with a camera and a modern browser works.
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Get one verb, not a menu
An item that's in shows Take it or Hand to someone. One that's out shows Return. A quantity item offers Take some, Add stock and Count it.
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Label the places too
Print a shelf label for a folder (a shelf, a bin, a van). Scanning it opens that place, where you can move things in or start a count.
The details
- Lost and found
- Opt in, and a stranger who scans one of your labels sees that it belongs to your organisation and a message you wrote, never the item's details.
- When a label falls off
- Search by name or serial, reprint the same code and stick it back. If an item was entered twice, merge them and both old labels keep scanning.
- Unknown codes become items
- Scan a barcode the register doesn't know and you can create an item from it on the spot, or attach it to an existing one.
- Kits and person cards
- A kit label fills a basket with every member. A person card (P-0042) starts a hand-over on that person's name.
- Scanner guns work too
- A USB or Bluetooth scanner types into the search box, and the kiosk accepts its Enter key. Useful at a busy desk; the phone camera is enough everywhere else.
- Every scan is a ledger line
- Two people scanning the same shelf add up instead of overwriting each other, and every change keeps a name and a time.
What QR asset tracking is
QR code asset tracking means every physical asset carries a label with a unique code, and scanning that label opens the asset’s record. The point is speed and certainty: the person holding the thing can update the record in the second they handle it, without typing an asset number.
The QR on an ItemTally label encodes a web address with the item’s code. Your own team’s scans open the item inside the app. A stranger’s scan opens a lost-and-found page if you’ve turned it on, and a quiet page with a sign-in link if you haven’t.
How teams do it today
- Asset tags with numbers only. A sticker says “ASSET 00417”, and somebody looks it up in a spreadsheet. It’s fine for an annual audit, too slow for daily lending.
- A free QR generator plus a spreadsheet. The QR links to a Google Sheet row or a form. It works until someone sorts the sheet, edits the wrong row, or needs to know who has it now.
- Barcode labels and a USB scanner at one desk. Good at that desk, useless on the van or in the stage store.
QR or barcode?
| QR label | Existing barcode (EAN, Code 128) | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes from | ItemTally prints it | The manufacturer |
| Unique per item | Yes | Usually per product, not per unit |
| Best for | Equipment you lend or track by unit | Consumables and boxed stock you count |
| Scan distance and angle | Forgiving, small labels work | Needs a straighter line |
Use both. A box of identical gloves can share its EAN, because you count gloves by the box. A camera body needs its own QR, because you care which one Sam has.
Labels that survive
Paper labels on Avery sheets suit cupboards, offices and classrooms. For tools, flight cases and anything that gets wiped or rained on, use polyester or laminated labels and stick them on a flat, protected face. ItemTally prints the layout; the label stock is yours to choose.
The honest limits
- A QR tells you who had it last. It can’t tell you where it is right now. For live location you need GPS or Bluetooth trackers, which ItemTally doesn’t sell or read.
- Scanning needs a connection today. The iPhone and Android apps with offline scanning are in testing, not released.
- No RFID. Scanning is one label at a time with a camera or a scanner gun.
What it costs
QR labels, scanning and the logbook are on every plan, and items are never counted. Shelf is €0 for one editor and ten borrowers, Stockroom €19/mo for five editors and fifty borrowers, Warehouse €49/mo for unlimited. Try the free label generator first if you only need a sheet of codes.
Who uses it
Schools label every department’s kit on one label day, theatre wardrobes tag costumes and hat boxes, trades label tool cases and van shelves, and IT help desks reuse the asset tags they already have.
Questions people ask
Do I need an app to scan QR codes for asset tracking?
No. Open ItemTally in your phone's browser and tap Scan. iPhone and Android apps with offline scanning are in testing, not released; the browser does everything today.
Can I use the barcodes already on my equipment?
Yes. Scan an EAN, UPC or Code 128 barcode and attach it to an item. You can keep a QR label on the same item too; both open the same record.
What label printer do I need?
None, if you have an office printer and Avery L7160 or J8165 sheets. For tough labels at a desk, a Brother printer with 62 mm rolls is supported.
What happens if someone outside the team scans a label?
If you turn on lost and found, they see your organisation's name and a message you wrote, such as a phone number. They never see the item's details or history.
Is QR asset tracking free?
On ItemTally, labels, scanning and the logbook are on every plan, including the free Shelf plan with unlimited items. The free label generator makes a sheet of codes without an account.
How do I number my assets?
You don't have to. ItemTally assigns IT-000001 upwards as you add items, and keeps your old asset numbers in a serial or custom field if you have them.
Print one sheet of labels and scan the first thing.
Free forever for one editor and ten borrowers. No card.
Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card needed.