All guides
What to Put on a Digital Business Card: Fields, Links and Examples
The essential fields, which links to add, the right call to action, what to leave off, and worked examples for six common roles.
- What should a digital business card include?
- How should you format your contact details?
- Which links should you add to a digital business card?
- What makes a good photo and headline?
- What call to action should a digital business card have?
- What should you leave off a digital business card?
- What do good digital business cards look like for different roles?
- Should a company card include different details from a personal card?
- How should you share your card once it is complete?
QR Code Size and Placement Guide: Minimum Sizes, Distance and Testing
Minimum QR code sizes, the 10:1 distance rule, quiet zones, contrast, error correction and a testing checklist so every printed code scans first time.
- What is the minimum size for a QR code?
- How does scanning distance affect QR code size?
- How does the amount of data affect QR code size?
- What is the QR code quiet zone, and how big should it be?
- What colors and contrast work best for QR codes?
- Which QR code error correction level should you use?
- Where should you place a QR code?
- How do you test a QR code before printing?
Event Badges from Registration to QR Check-in: A Complete Guide
Import attendees, map ticket types to badge roles, design for reading distance, print or send badges, and use QR codes for check-in and networking.
- What does an event badge workflow look like?
- What size and layout should event badges use?
- How do you import registrations and assign roles?
- Should you print badges in advance or on site?
- How does QR code check-in work at the door?
- How do event badges help networking and sponsor lead capture?
- How do you handle badge changes and reprints during the event?
- What is a good event badge timeline and checklist?
How to Make ID Cards in Excel (and Faster in Bulk)
How to make ID cards from an Excel list with Word mail merge, where that method breaks down, and how to generate the batch with photos and QR codes instead.
- Can you make ID cards in Excel?
- How should you set up the Excel sheet for ID cards?
- How do you make ID cards with Word mail merge, step by step?
- How do you add photos to ID cards in a mail merge?
- Can you add QR codes or barcodes to ID cards in Excel or Word?
- What are the limits of making ID cards in Excel and Word?
- How do you make ID cards from Excel in bulk with CardDeck?
- What size and print settings should ID cards use?
- What are the most common mistakes when making ID cards from a spreadsheet?
How to Batch-Generate Cards, Badges and Codes from a CSV or Excel File
Prepare your spreadsheet, map columns, match photos by filename, fix flagged rows and export print-ready PDFs or individual files in one job.
- What can you batch-generate from a spreadsheet?
- How should you structure the CSV or Excel file?
- Why does a unique ID column matter?
- How do you match photos to rows?
- How do column mapping and validation work?
- How do you export or issue the batch?
- How many rows can you import, and how do you update a batch later?
- What mistakes should you avoid when batch-generating cards?
Code 128 vs EAN-13: Choosing the Right Barcode Format
What Code 128 and EAN-13 encode, how check digits work, when you need GS1 numbers, and the print sizes that make each scan reliably.
- What is the difference between Code 128 and EAN-13?
- How does EAN-13 work?
- How does Code 128 work?
- How is a barcode check digit calculated?
- When should you use EAN-13?
- When should you use Code 128?
- What size should Code 128 and EAN-13 barcodes be printed?
- What mistakes should you avoid with barcodes?
How to Make Employee ID Cards: Fields, Photos, Printing and Security
Templates, required fields, CR80 sizing, staff photos, QR verification and offboarding: everything you need to issue employee IDs for the whole company.
- What should an employee ID card include?
- What size is an employee ID card?
- How do you create an ID card template that stays consistent?
- How do you collect employee photos that work?
- How do you generate ID cards for the whole company at once?
- Should you print employee IDs or issue digital IDs?
- How does QR verification on an employee ID work?
- What should happen to an ID card when an employee leaves?
Static vs Dynamic QR Codes: Which Should You Use?
What a static QR code stores, what a dynamic QR code stores, when each makes sense, and how to avoid paying for a reprint.
- What is the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code?
- How does a static QR code work?
- How does a dynamic QR code work?
- Static vs dynamic QR code: how do they compare side by side?
- When should you use a static QR code?
- When should you use a dynamic QR code?
- How much does a reprint cost compared with a dynamic code?
- Are dynamic QR codes safe and private?
- How do you create a static or dynamic QR code with CardDeck?
How to Create a Digital Business Card (Step-by-Step)
Pick a template, add your details and one clear call to action, then publish your card with a permanent link and QR code in about ten minutes.
- What is a digital business card?
- What should you prepare before you start?
- Step 1: How do you choose a template?
- Step 2: Which details should you add to your card?
- Step 3: What call to action should you use?
- Step 4: How do you publish and share your card?
- How do you test your digital business card?
- What mistakes should you avoid when creating a digital business card?
CardDeck guides are step-by-step instructions for a single task: creating a digital business card, choosing between static and dynamic QR codes, making employee or student ID cards, batch-generating cards from a spreadsheet, picking a barcode format and running event badges from registration to check-in. Each guide explains the decisions as well as the clicks.
- Each guide covers one task from start to finish.
- Decisions are explained, not just the steps.
- Start with your first card, then QR codes, then batch generation.
- Every guide links to the tool you need to finish the job.
Which guide should you start with?
Start with the task you need to finish this week. If you're new to CardDeck, follow this path:
- Create your first digital business card. Pick a template, add your details, publish and share. The digital business card page shows what a finished card includes.
- Choose the right QR code. Read static vs dynamic QR codes before printing anything; it decides whether you'll ever need to reprint.
- Scale up with a spreadsheet. Once one card works, generate the rest with the batch generator, or follow how to make ID cards from Excel for IDs.
If you run an event, jump straight to the badge workflow on the event badge maker page.
How is each guide structured?
Every guide opens with a short answer you can act on, then breaks the task into numbered steps. Where there is a decision — portrait or landscape, Code 128 or EAN-13, static or dynamic — the guide explains the trade-off before the step, so you choose with the facts in front of you.
Guides also list the mistakes we see most often: QR codes printed too small, spreadsheets saved in the wrong encoding, duplicate ID numbers, badges with names too small to read across a room. Fixing those before you print saves the most time.
What do the guides cover?
The guides cover the jobs people use CardDeck for most:
- Business cards: creating, designing and sharing a digital card.
- QR codes: static vs dynamic, print sizes and placement.
- ID cards: fields, photos, CR80 print specs, QR verification and handling leavers. See also the employee ID card maker.
- Batch: preparing a CSV, mapping columns, fixing flagged rows and exporting print-ready PDFs.
- Barcodes: which scanners read which formats, and how check digits work. The barcode vs QR code article is a good companion.
- Events: importing attendees, assigning roles, printing badges and checking people in.
For quick answers about your account rather than a full task, use the help center.
What should you prepare before following a guide?
A little preparation makes most guides quicker. Before you start, have your logo as an SVG or high-resolution PNG and your brand colors as hex codes. For a personal card, pick a recent head-and-shoulders photo. For batch tasks, export your list from your HR, school or registration system as CSV (UTF-8) or XLSX, with one row per person, headers in the first row and a unique ID for every row. If photos are involved, name each file after its ID. With those ready, most first runs take minutes rather than an afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a CardDeck guide take to follow?
Most guides take between five and fifteen minutes to read, and the task itself — publishing a card or running a first batch — often takes about the same.
Do I need a paid plan to follow the guides?
Most guides can be followed on the Free plan with small numbers. Some features, such as employee IDs, student IDs and event badges, need the plan that includes them.
What is the difference between a guide and a help article?
A guide walks through a whole task step by step. A help article answers a specific question about your account, such as changing plans or fixing a QR code that won’t scan.