Card Templates

CaptrID includes a built-in card designer for creating professional ID cards. Templates are organisation-level resources — design once, reuse across multiple sessions.

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How templates work

There are two levels of templates in CaptrID:

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Organisation templates

These are your master designs. They live in the Card Design section of the sidebar and are available to all sessions in your organisation.

• Create, edit, duplicate, and archive from the Card Design screen
• Define variables (e.g. {{first_name}}, {{student_id}}) that get replaced with real data at print time
• One template can be linked to many sessions

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Session copies

If a session needs a slightly different version of a template (e.g. an event logo, different fields), you can create a session copy:

1. Open the session’s Card Design tab
2. Find the org template you want to customise
3. Click Customise for Session
4. A copy is created that belongs to this session only — edits won’t affect the original

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Compatibility

When you open a session’s Card Design tab, CaptrID automatically checks which organisation templates are compatible with that session’s fields.

• Compatible — All variables used in the template exist in the session’s fields. Ready to print.
• Incompatible — Some variables don’t match the session’s fields. You can create a session copy and adjust the design.

Compatibility is based on the template’s used variables — only fields that actually appear on the card matter, not every variable in the schema.

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Field mappings

When a template’s variable names don’t exactly match a session’s field names, field mappings bridge the gap. For example, if your template uses {{first_name}} but the session field is called given_name, you can map them: Field mappings are configured per session — the same template can use different mappings for different sessions. You can also set default values as fallbacks for missing fields.

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Creating a template

1. Go to Card Design in the sidebar
2. Click Create Template
3. Enter a name (e.g. “Student ID 2026” or “Staff Badge”)
4. The card designer opens

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The card designer

The designer has three panels:

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Adding elements

Drag elements from the left panel onto the canvas:

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Using variables

Text elements can include variables that are replaced with real data when you print. Variables use double curly braces: You can import variables from a Master List or session schema, or define them manually.

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Canvas tools

• Snap to grid — Align elements precisely (configurable grid size)
• Guidelines — Show alignment guides
• Zoom — Zoom in/out for detail work
• Multi-select — Select multiple elements and align them together
• Copy/paste — Duplicate elements
• Undo/redo — Up to 50 steps of history

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Dual-sided cards

Toggle dual-sided mode to design both the front and back of a card. Switch between sides using the toggle at the top of the canvas.

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Previewing with real data

Click Preview to see your template with actual data instead of placeholder text:

1. Select a data source (session or Master List)
2. Browse through records using the arrow buttons
3. Check that fields, photos, and layout look correct with real content

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Page setup

Before printing, configure the page layout:

• Orientation — Portrait or landscape
• Margins — Space around the card on the printed page

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Exporting and printing

From the card designer or the session’s Card Design tab:

• Export as PDF — Generate a print-ready PDF
• Print directly — Send to your browser’s print dialog

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Common workflows

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Same template, multiple sessions

Link one organisation template to several sessions. Each session gets its own field mappings, so the same design works with different roster schemas.

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One-off event badge

Create a session copy from an existing template, add the event logo and date, print for this session only. The original template stays unchanged.

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Duplicating a template

From the Card Design screen, duplicate an organisation template to create an independent copy. Unlike session copies, duplicates are full organisation templates that can be linked to any session.

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Renaming a template

Templates can be renamed at any time from the template list. The name is a label for your team — renaming does not affect cards already issued, or which lists the template is assigned to.