Labels, QR and NFC

Design and print asset labels, link NFC tags, and set up a reader so a scan opens the right asset.

Overview

Labels and NFC tags let anyone find an asset by scanning it instead of searching. Every asset can carry a QR label, an NFC tag or both, and scanning either one opens that asset or starts a checkout or return. No more barking up the wrong shelf.

NFC & labels is where you assign NFC tags, make a quick QR code and print labels for the assets you pick.
Label maker is where you design reusable templates and print them for a printer or a sheet of stickers.

Design a label template

A template stores how a label looks and which printer or sheet it prints on. Everyone in your organization sees the same saved templates.

Open Label maker and select New template.
Enter a Template name, such as Shelf label 50 x 30.
Under Basics, turn on what to show: Show asset name, Show asset tag, Show quantity and Show org logo.
Add a Free text line if you want a fixed line such as Property of your organization.
Check the preview, which uses a sample asset, then select Save template.
To make a variant, select Duplicate template. To remove one, select Delete template and confirm.

Label size and layout

Size and layout decide how the QR code and text fit on one label. The preview and the printed output use the same measurements.

In the template, under Layout, open the Size list and pick a size, or pick Custom (mm).
For a custom size, enter Width (mm) and Height (mm).
Set QR size (mm) and choose a Layout.
Set Name lines to control how many lines the asset name can use.
Check the preview. If the QR code is cut off, make the label larger or the QR size smaller.

Printer presets

Pick what you print on and the size and margins are filled in for you. Select Label printer (roll) for a thermal printer, or Sheet of labels for sticker sheets.

Printer groups in the media list
Group	Use it for
Brother QL	QL series label printers
DYMO LabelWriter	LabelWriter printers
Zebra, Rollo, Munbyn	Inch-sized thermal printers
Niimbot, Phomemo	Small handheld label printers
Brother P-touch (TZe tape)	Tape printers

In the template, under Output, set Print on to Label printer (roll) or Sheet of labels.
For a roll printer, choose a Printer media entry from the list, grouped by maker.
If the media offers more than one Printer resolution, choose the one your printer uses, in dpi.
For sheets, choose a Sheet stock, such as an Avery or A4 sheet, and the labels are laid out to match.
If you see that the label is larger than the printable area, select Use this media's size.

Print labels

You can print from Label maker with a template, or straight from NFC & labels with the Print labels dialog. Both give you a printable page or PNG files.

Select the assets you want to label, then open Print labels. In Label maker, pick them in the Assets list.
Choose a template, or the plain Letter layout. Select Customise in Label Maker to adjust it first.
Set Copies for the number of labels per asset.
On a sheet, set Start at label to reuse a partly used sheet. Use it to skip slots that are already used.
Check the Preview.
Select Open printable page to print, or Download to get PNG files for a printer app.

What a QR label holds

A label's QR code holds the item's label ID and nothing else. It is not a web address, so moving Hound to another address never affects labels you have printed.

Scan labels with the scanner inside Hound: select Scan in the app, or use the scan field on check-out and check-in.
A phone's own camera app shows the label ID as text and does not open anything.
Labels printed earlier as links still scan inside Hound.
If the label ID is unknown, belongs to another organization or points to an asset in a department you cannot reach, you see a plain not-found message.

Assign an NFC tag

Link a tag to an asset or a person. Tapping it later brings up that record, or identifies the borrower at checkout.

Open NFC & labels and select Assign NFC tag.
Choose the asset or person to link.
Hold the tag on your reader to fill in its UID. If no reader is found, type the UID by hand.
Select Assign tag. You see Tag assigned when it works.
To change it later, find the row under Assigned NFC tags and select Unlink tag.

Set up an NFC reader

A desktop USB reader lets the browser read tag UIDs through a small helper that runs on the same computer. Phones with NFC do not need this.

Readers: ACR122U is recommended, ACR1252U works too. Any PC/SC reader should work.
You need Node.js 18 or newer and a PC/SC driver. macOS has one built in, Windows needs the reader's driver and the Smart Card service, and Linux needs the pcscd package.
The helper listens on 127.0.0.1 only, so no firewall change is needed.
Tags that work include NTAG213, NTAG215, NTAG216, MIFARE Classic and DESFire.

Troubleshooting

Most label and tag problems come from print settings, a missing reader driver or tag position.

Label is scaled or clipped: check the print window settings listed under Print labels (paper size, 100% scale, no margins).
QR code will not scan: make it larger, use a dark print, and keep blank space around it.
Reader not found: unplug and re-plug it. On Linux check that pcscd is running, on Windows check the Smart Card service.
Tag will not read: hold it flat and centered on the reader for one or two seconds.
Too many requests: wait a moment and print again.
No access to print: you do not have access to one of the selected assets. Ask an admin.