CaptrID includes a built-in card designer for creating professional ID cards. Templates are reusable — design once, print across multiple sessions.
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.
Linking a template to a session
Templates are organisation-level resources. To use a template with a specific session:
- Open your session and go to the Card Design tab
- Link an existing template
- Map fields — Connect the template’s variables to the session’s fields
- Set default values for any variables that don’t have a matching field
Page setup
Before printing, configure the page layout:
- Orientation — Portrait or landscape
- Margins — Space around the card on the printed page
- Bleed — Extra area beyond the card edge for trimming
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 printer
Templates can be linked to multiple sessions. Each session can have its own field mappings, so the same template design works across different rosters.
