CaptrID includes a built-in card designer for creating professional ID cards. Templates are organisation-level resources — design once, reuse across multiple sessions.
How templates work
There are two levels of templates in CaptrID:
| Level | Where | Purpose |
|---|
| Organisation template | Card Design screen | Shared design, reusable across sessions |
| Session copy | Session > Card Design tab | Customised version for a specific session |
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
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:
- Open the session’s Card Design tab
- Find the org template you want to customise
- Click Customise for Session
- A copy is created that belongs to this session only — edits won’t affect the original
Session copies don’t count towards your plan’s card template limit. Only organisation-level templates are counted.
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.
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:
| Template variable | Session field |
|---|
first_name | given_name |
last_name | family_name |
student_id | uid_value |
Creating a template
- Go to Card Design in the sidebar
- Click Create Template
- Enter a name (e.g. “Student ID 2026” or “Staff Badge”)
- The card designer opens
The card designer
The designer has three panels:
| Panel | Purpose |
|---|
| Left | Element palette — drag elements onto the canvas |
| Centre | Canvas — your card design with drag, drop, and resize |
| Right | Properties — styling and positioning for the selected element |
Adding elements
Drag elements from the left panel onto the canvas:
| Element | Use for |
|---|
| Text | Names, titles, department, any field data |
| Image | Photo placeholder, logos, background images |
| Shape | Rectangles, lines, decorative elements |
| Barcode | Barcode from a UID or other field |
| QR Code | QR code linking to a URL or containing data |
Using variables
Text elements can include variables that are replaced with real data when you print. Variables use double curly braces:
| Variable | Prints as |
|---|
{{first_name}} | Emma |
{{last_name}} | Wilson |
{{student_id}} | STU001 |
{{year_level}} | 7 |
- 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
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.
Previewing with real data
Click Preview to see your template with actual data instead of placeholder text:
- Select a data source (session or Master List)
- Browse through records using the arrow buttons
- Check that fields, photos, and layout look correct with real content
Always preview with real data before printing. Variables that don’t map to a field will show as blank — preview helps you catch missing mappings.
Page setup
Before printing, configure the page layout:
- Orientation — Portrait or landscape
- Margins — Space around the card on the printed page
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
Common workflows
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.
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.
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. 
