QR labels for processors: how to set up Ranch Pickup stores
Last updated November 5, 2026
A ranch you process for sells its meat through its own Ranch Pickup store. They asked you to add a QR code to each package label. This page explains what to print. It is one small change to your labels, and it needs no special software.
What to print
On the labels you print as the processor, the QR holds only your package number. Put one QR code on each package label that holds just that package's own number, the same number you print on the label and put in the spreadsheet. No web address, no other text: packing-plant labels are approved by the USDA, so keep the QR to the package number.
For example, the QR for package 100245 holds just:
100245
Labels the rancher prints themselves (eggs, honey, poultry processed on the farm) can instead hold the ranch's web address, then /p/, then the package number, like https://smithranchbeef.com/p/100245. That is for the ranch's own labels only, never on the labels you print.
Print the package number as plain text next to the QR code too, so it can be read by eye.
QR size and placement
- At least 0.75 inch (2 cm) square; 1 inch is better on curved or shrink-wrapped packages.
- Keep clear space (the quiet zone) around the code, about the width of 4 of its small squares, with no text or lines in it.
- Put it on a flat part of the label, away from folds, seams, clips and the edge of the package.
- Black on white. Do not print it over a picture or a color.
Label printer tips
- Most label printers and their software (BarTender, NiceLabel, ZebraDesigner, the scale's own label program) already print QR codes: add a QR (2D barcode) field and fill it with the package number field only (no web address).
- Use error correction M or higher, so a smudge or a frost line does not stop it from scanning.
- Print at 203 dpi or better. Check the printhead and ribbon if bars come out faint or broken.
The spreadsheet
For each order, send the ranch a spreadsheet with one row per package, and the same package number that is in the QR code. Excel (.xlsx), CSV or Google Sheets all work. The columns:
- packer_id: the package number in the QR code
- cut: the product or cut name, like Ribeye steak
- weight_lbs: net weight in pounds
- lot_number: the animal or lot it came from
- packing_date: the day it was packed
Other columns are fine. The ranch matches them when they upload.
Test a label
The ranch's email has a test link for its store (it ends in /label-test). Open it on your phone, print one label, and scan it. It says This label will work (the format is right), or what to fix. Test one before you print the whole order. The ranch then scans a real label to confirm the number is in its store.
Questions
Do I need special software? No. Any label printer or program that prints a QR code works.
Can I use my own package numbers? Yes. Use the numbers you already use, as long as each package has a different one and the same number is in the spreadsheet.
Why only a number in the QR? Packing-plant labels are approved by the USDA, so keep the QR to the package number. A QR that holds only your package number is just another package code on an approved label.
What if a label won't scan? Make it bigger, keep it off folds and seams, leave clear space around it, and print it black on white. Then test it again with the ranch's test link.
Do I send a file every time? Yes, one spreadsheet for each order you pack for the ranch, so its packages match their labels.
Who do I contact? The ranch first, for its own numbers. For anything about this page or the QR codes, email Ranch Pickup at support@ranchpickup.com.