Overview

1. Locate the equipment tags folder
2. Duplicate template
3. Rename files
4. Create associated kit KB document
5. Create QR code for the external-facing KB document
6. Format the Front and Back of the tags in InDesign
7. Export the tags to PDF
8. Merge front and back PDFs
9. Print the tags

Locate the Equipment Tags folder

1. Open a Finder window > QDrive > Groups > imcstaff > Equipment > Tags. Inside this folder, you will find various sub-folders relating to specific courses, along with the template we will use to create new equipment tags.
   

Duplicate template

1. Inside the "Tags" folder, right click the folder labeled "_Tag Template".
   
2. Select the option to duplicate this folder and its contents. This will create a new folder called "_Tag Template copy"
   

Rename files

1. Right click the duplicate folder you just created, and rename it after the specific kit or piece of equipment for which you are creating a tag. In the example below, note that we have renamed the file "Panasonic GH5 Kit"
   
   
2. Inside your newly renamed folder, rename the two InDesign templates for the front and back of the tag with the name of the equipment you are tagging. Be sure to keep the information of whether it is the front or the back. Note in our example, the documents have been renamed "Panasonic-GH5-Front" and "Panasonic-GH5-Back."
   

Create associated kit KB document

1. Go to https://kb.wisc.edu/commarts-imc/internal/
2. On the right side of the page, in the square menu labeled "KB Help", click "KB Admin"
   
3. You should now be in the KB Admin dashboard. On the top of this page, click "Documents"
   
4. Now that you are in the Documents pane, on the top left of the page, click "Create a Doc"
   
5. Fill out the document with all relevant information for the equipment you will be tagging.
   
6. Use this link for more information on how to create a KB Doc https://kb.wisc.edu/kbGuide/page.php?id=5235

Generate QR code for the external-facing URL of KB document

1. Go to the URL qr-code-generator.com
2. Paste the URL for the KB doc you have just created into the site's main text box. This will automatically generate a new QR Code
3. Press the green button below the QR code labeled "Download jpg". You may be prompted to create an account. You can ignore this, the QR code will download momentarily.
   
   
4. You should find your new QR Code saved into your Downloads folder under the name "frame.png". Rename it according to the equipment you will be tagging.
5. Move the newly-named QR Code into the same folder you created earlier, the same location as your InDesign files. Note that our folder now has a file named "Panasonic GH5 Kit QR"
   
   

Format the Front and Back of the tags in InDesign

1. Open the front InDesign File you have recently renamed. You will likely see a warning that the document contains a link to a source that is missing.
   
2. On the right side of the page, you should see a panel called "Links". If you do not see this panel, click on the "Window" tab in the very top InDesign navigation bar, and scroll down and select "Links". Once the Links panel is open, you will see a QR code listed there with a red question mark next to it. Double click the red question mark.
   
3. Select the QR Code you just created, which you recently moved to the same folder as your InDesign documents.
   
4. Highlight the primary text on the tag, and replace it with the name of the kit you are labeling.
   
   
5. Save the document.
   
6. Next, you will open the document for the back side of the tag.
   
7. Edit the text of the tag so that it correctly names the equipment kit and its contents. IMPORTANT: If you are having trouble fitting all of the text onto the tag, make sizing adjustments using the "Paragraph Styles" menu, NOT the Microsoft Word-esque font controls at screen right. The reason for this is that editing the paragraph style will apply the change to all text assigned to that same style, whereas the Word-esque controls only change the individual text you've highlighted (and will muck up the elegance of the template).
1. In order to resize the text, place your cursor within the text you wish to resize. Do not highlight anything, merely click into the text for now.
2. Open up the "Paragraph Styles" panel. If it isn't already visible within your InDesign workspace, click on "Window" scroll down to "Styles" and select "Paragraph Styles" out of the menu expansion.
   
3. Within the "Paragraph Styles" panel, double-click on the highlighted (active) style, i.e. the one you wish to change. Most likely, this will be "Item List."
   
4. A pop-up window will appear containing all possible font/text controls. Make sure the "Preview" checkbox in the bottom left corner of this window is selected (so that you can see how your changes affect the text in real time).
   
   
5. If there aren't any currently, click on the "Span Columns" submenu, and select "Split Column" out of the dropdown menu and set the number of subcolumns to 2. Do not set this any higher than 2.
   
6. If the text still doesn't fit, click on "Basic Character Formats" submenu and decrease the "Size" and "Leading" point values, but don't go any lower than 6pt font for either. If the text still doesn't fit, consult with the IMC manager for further resizing options.
   
7. Verify the text also has proper hanging line indent. To do this, click on the "Indents and Spacing" submenu and set the "Left Indent" to "0.25 in" and the "First Line Indent" to "-0.25 in." If this doesn't look like the appropriate spacing for the font size you have selected, you can adjust these values, but the "First Line Indent" value should always be the opposite (negative) of the "Left Indent" value.
   
8. Save the document.

*Note: The top and bottom margins on the tag text box should be 0.5". The right and left margins should be 0.375". This should only come up if the tag won't export properly or the if template somehow became corrupted.

Export the tags to PDF

1. Open the InDesign file for the front side of the tag.
2. Double-check that the 100.txt file is linked properly (the export will fail if not):
1. Navigate to the "Links" panel ("Window > Links") and double-check the error messages (if there are any) next to "100.txt."
2. If there is a yellow triangle with an exclamation point, merely double-click the triangle, and you're good to go.
   
3. If there is a red stop sign with a question mark, then the 100.txt file is missing and must be re-linked.
   
4. In order to fix this, simply double-click the stop sign and use the pop-up finder window to select your missing 100.txt file. If one doesn't exist in your current tag folder, go back to the template folder on the QDrive and copy/paste (don't drag!) the one from there into your tag folder.
   
3. On the top right of the page, you should see the "Data Merge" tab. If you do not see it, you can select it under the "Window > Utilities" menu in InDesign.
   
4. Click the button that looks like three lines in the top right corner of the Data Merge box and then select "Export to PDF."
   
5. In the "Export PDF" Menu, make sure the option for "Range" is selected. In the Range box, indicate the range of numbers you will need for tags. Do NOT click the "Preview" checkbox! There is an InDesign glitch: clicking that checkbox will corrupt the file and make it impossible to export. Also, note in our example, the range is "1-4", which will produce a sheet of tags numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. Export the tag sheet and give it a name to indicate that it is a sheet.
   
6. Open the newly-exported confirm it has correctly printed the numbers.
   
7. Repeat these steps for the back of the tag as well. IMPORTANT: if you are printing an odd number of tags, round the range for the back of the tags up to the nearest even number (so if you need 9, set it to 10) for printing purposes.

Merge front and back PDFs

1. Now that you have two pdfs with multiple tags, open the Front pdf. Make sure the Thumbnail sidebar is visible.
   
2. Drag and drop the pdf file for the back of the tags below the page for the front of the tags in the Thumbnail sidebar. This should create a single, two-page pdf.
   
   

Print the tags

1. Your tags should now be ready to print. Turn on the printer. Load card stock into the tray on the right side tray labeled 1.
   
2. Select "Print" from the "File" menu. In the print menu, make sure the option for "two-sided printing" is selected.
3. In the drop-down menu labeled "Preview", select "Paper Feed."
   
4. In the Paper Feed menu, select "Tray 1" to force the printer to use the card stock you have loaded.
   
5. Press "Print". Double-sided tags should be printed on card stock from the printer. Cut the tags and double-check the QR code before putting them into circulation.