Printable Kanban cards with barcode and QR, and a board with WIP limits
Fill in the part name, SKU, quantity and where the part comes from and goes to, and get a Kanban card with a barcode and a QR code, ready to print on A4. The second tab is a board with columns and WIP limits (a cap on tasks per column), kept in your browser.
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.
- 2 card typesproduction and withdrawal
- Barcode and QRon the card, from the SKU and the data
- Up to 50 cards in a setprinted on A4
- Board with WIP limitsdrag and drop and a backup
What a Kanban card and a Kanban board are
A Kanban card is a signal card from manufacturing: it tells the upstream process to produce a set quantity (production) or to deliver parts from the store (withdrawal). This Kanban card generator makes such a card for printing on A4, and next to it sits a Kanban board with WIP limits, that is, a cap on how many tasks can be active in one column.
The card carries the part name, an SKU with a barcode, the quantity per container, where the part comes from and goes to, the location, a reorder point and a QR code. A colour strip shows the process, and "N / M" shows which card of the set it is.
What it does: Kanban cards for print and a board
Makes a production or a withdrawal card
You pick the type: production says "Produce from" and "For process", withdrawal "From where" and "To where". Then SKU, quantity, location, reorder point, supplier and lead time.
Puts a barcode and a QR on the card
A Code 128 barcode is made from the SKU, and the QR code carries the SKU, the quantity and both processes. For Cyrillic without a Latin SKU, the Suggest SKU button writes it in Latin letters.
Prints a set on A4
You choose 1 to 50 cards and a size from 50 × 35 to 180 × 150 mm. The Print set button opens the browser print window.
Runs a Kanban board with WIP limits
The board starts with Backlog, To do, In Progress and Done. Cards with priority, category and assignee move by drag and drop or arrows, and an exceeded limit turns the counter red.
When you need a Kanban card for a warehouse
You need a Kanban card when parts or tasks move between places and someone has to get a signal.
A warehouse with bins and shelves
The card sits on the container with the SKU, quantity, location and reorder point.
3D printing from the printer to assembly
A card "Produce from FDM printer 1, for Assembly" with a colour strip by process: FDM, resin or SLS.
Transport between processes
A withdrawal card says where to take the parts from and where to bring them.
Tasks of a small team
The board tracks tasks by column, for example at most 3 in In Progress.
How cards fit on A4 and when a WIP limit is exceeded
Two things are calculated: how many cards fit on an A4 sheet and when a column is over its limit.
Usable area
The margin is taken off both sides of 210 × 297 mm: with a 10 mm margin that leaves 190 × 277 mm.
Columns and rows
Columns are the whole part of (usable width + spacing) / (card width + spacing); rows are the same for height.
Sheets and limit
Sheets are the number of cards divided by cards per sheet, rounded up. A column is over its limit when it holds more cards than the limit.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Columns | whole part of (210 − 2 · margin + spacing) / (width + spacing) | at 100 mm, margin 10, spacing 5: 195 / 105, so 1 |
| Rows | whole part of (297 − 2 · margin + spacing) / (height + spacing) | at 62 mm: 282 / 67, so 4 |
| Limit exceeded | cards in the column > WIP limit | with a limit of 3 the column's counter turns red from the fourth card |
Barcode, QR and reorder point on the card itself
The barcode and QR are already on the card
The SKU becomes a Code 128 barcode, and the QR carries the SKU, quantity and processes.
You see the sheets before printing
Under the sizes it reads "1 cols × 4 rows = 4 per A4 sheet" and the number of sheets.
The board has a backup
You download it as a file and restore it from a file, since otherwise it lives only in the browser.
The board is kept only in this browser: it is not shared or synced. The assignee is a plain text field, and there are no due dates or archive. A dropped card goes to the bottom of the column.
A WIP limit blocks nothing: the column's counter turns red and a warning shows. The number of cards in the set is typed by hand. On the printed card a long name is cut after two lines and every other field after one.
Cards are for printing on A4 portrait. Each card has its own QR with its own number, such as 3/3. The PNG is for card 1 only, with the preview's fields: barcode, QR, reorder point, supplier. The barcode takes Latin characters only: Cyrillic becomes dashes. The printed QR is 19% of the card's shorter side (11.8 mm at 100 × 62 mm); whether a scanner reads it is unchecked, so test a printed card.
Questions about Kanban cards and WIP limits
What is a Kanban card?
A signal card from manufacturing: it tells the upstream process to produce a quantity (production) or to deliver parts (withdrawal). Here you make one with a barcode and a QR.
What is the difference between a production and a withdrawal Kanban card?
A production card orders a quantity to be made ("Produce from", "For process"). A withdrawal card orders parts to be moved ("From where", "To where").
What is a WIP limit in Kanban?
The most tasks that may be active in one column. You set it with the column's settings button; the field offers 1 to 99, and empty means no limit. It starts at 5 for To do and 3 for In Progress.
How to print Kanban cards on A4?
Choose a number up to 50 and a size, then press Print set. At 100 × 62 mm with the default margin 10 and spacing 5, you get 4 cards per sheet.
What size is a Kanban card?
By default 100 × 62 mm; a width from 50 to 180 mm and a height from 35 to 150 mm.
Is the board kept if I close the page?
Yes, but only in the same browser on this device. For another device, download a backup and restore it from a file.
How much does the tool cost?
It is part of Pro for 15 EUR a month.
The Kanban card and board tool is part of Pro
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens all 45 Pro tools.
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Make a Kanban card or a board
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.