Print jewelry tags on a label printer

Set up a label printer, create a barbell tag layout, choose what prints on each tail, and print tags for new stock, repricing or a whole tray.

This article shows how to set up your label printer, build a layout for narrow jewelry “barbell” tags, and print tags for single pieces or whole trays. A good tag carries the serial as a barcode on one tail and what your staff need to see on the other, nothing more.

Before you start

Products are in with their SKU (serial), weight, karat and price. See Import products from CSV.
A thermal transfer label printer connected to the computer at the counter, with its driver installed. Thermal transfer with a ribbon lasts better than direct thermal on tags that live in a case for months. See the Hardware guide.
A roll of barbell (dumbbell) jewelry tags, and the measurements printed on the box: tag width, height of each printable tail, gap between tags.
A decision on whether your tags carry a price. Many gold shops print weight and karat only and price at the counter from today’s rate.

Step 1: Set up the printer

Load the tag roll and ribbon, and run the printer’s own calibration so it finds the gap between tags.
In your computer’s printer settings, set the paper size to the full tag size from the box, with zero margins.
Print the printer’s test page. If it drifts across tags, calibrate again before going further.

Step 2: Create a barbell tag layout

Go to Settings → Barcode settings and click Add.
Give it a name, for example “Barbell 22 × 66 mm”.
Set Paper width and Label height to the tag size, and Labels per row to 1.
Set the Top margin and Left margin to 0, then adjust in small steps after a test print.
Tick Continuous feed / roll so the printer feeds one tag at a time.
Click Save.

The printable part of a barbell tag is the two flat tails. The narrow loop that goes around the ring shank prints nothing, so the layout places fields on the first and second half of the label.

Step 3: Choose what prints

Keep each tail to three short lines. Small type on a narrow tag is hard to read through a case.

Tail one (faces the customer)

Price, if you print it. Leave it off for gold priced by weight.
Short name or style code, for example “SOL RING 1.0”.

Tail two (faces you)

Barcode of the SKU (serial). This is what you scan at the counter.
Karat and Net weight, for example “18K 3.42 g”.
Stone details from a custom field, for example “D 1.01 VS1”.

In Products → Print labels, choose your barbell layout.
Under Information to show, tick the fields above and untick the rest. Business name and location usually stay off; there is no room.
Set the font size for each field. The barcode needs the most width.

Never print cost, cost codes or supplier names in plain text. Anyone at the case can read a tag. If your shop uses a coded cost, keep it in a custom field and print it only after you have agreed the code with your team.

Step 4: Print tags

For new stock

Go to Products → Print labels.
Search and add products by name or serial, or choose Add from purchase to load everything on a supplier delivery.
Set the quantity to 1 for each serialised piece.
Click Preview, check one tag on screen, then Print.

For a whole tray or rack

In Products → List products, filter by Location and Rack / Row / Position.
Select all, then choose Print labels.

After repricing

If your tags carry a price, reprint after you recalculate prices. Filter the product list by Updated today to get only the changed pieces.

Step 5: Test the scan

Scan the new tag at Sell (POS) with the cart empty. The right piece should appear.
Remove it from the cart without selling.
If it does not scan, raise the barcode height or the printer darkness a step, and print again.

For the feature overview, including other tag and label sizes, see Tags & labels.

Common questions

Can I print a regular sticker for boxes and watches as well? Yes. Make a second layout in Settings → Barcode settings for that label size and pick it when printing. You can keep as many layouts as you have label rolls.

Can I print tags for pieces in another shop? You can print for any location your role can see. Usually the shop that holds the piece prints the tag, so it goes straight onto the piece.

Can I print a QR code instead of a barcode? A barcode is the safer choice on a narrow tail, because most counter scanners read it reliably at that size.