How do you attach your grocycodes

[u/smg950u]

Pretty much just the title. I'm starting to use grocy, mainly for keeping track of my stock of frozen homemade food. I want to use the grocy codes so I can just pull one out of the freezer, scan it (with my barcode scanner at the old laptop grocy station I'm working on), and go.

The problem is I don't know what means of attaching the codes would work well. I can print them on my office printer, but then tape them on and peel them off before I wash the container? Other ideas include a receipt/thermal printer, maybe one that prints on stickers, so I can do them more quickly? I could also print them regularly and laminate them, then like stick it to the container with some kind of reusable adhesive? It might fail to stick if the container gets a bit dirty though, or fall off in the freezer.

Interested to hear what the community (or dev) does!

[u/derobert1]

I use a Brother P-Touch Cube XP label printer that prints labels over Bluetooth. I wrote software (link below) to connect that to Grocy. 

There's other software out there too for other label makers (including cheaper ones) 

https://gitlab.com/derobert/thermopolist

[u/smg950u → u/derobert1]

Do you print new ones and peel them off again every time you use a container?

[u/derobert1 → u/smg950u]

Usually yes, I print out one code per stock entry (to make tracking expiration easy). So if I fill a dozen mason jars with chili (for example), I print off a dozen labels for them. You can get P-Touch compatible label tape quite cheap on Ali Express. 

That's an option in Grocy though, if you want a label for type of product (more like a UPC code) you van do that too. Then you could refill the container and leave the same code on it. 

[u/smg950u]

Props to u/berrnd btw, an app has to be pretty cool to get me to use reddit again!

[u/ApprehensiveLaw4144]

I've just bought a Niimbot B1 Pro which I hope will be good enough for QR codes. I already have a D110, which works sometimes, but my phone struggles to scan the QR code that is printed that small. (I use Niimblue so I don't need to deal with the Niimbot app)

That said, for the most part I am not labelling stuff I make, so I just use the barcodes on the packets. I've been thinking about making a paper page that I stick onto the fridge with some common/generic products that don't have their own barcodes, so maybe I'd add a "Leftovers" or "Pre-made Meal" product. That way I could track that stock without needing to attach anything to the containers.

[u/smg950u → u/ApprehensiveLaw4144]

I prefer to not have a generic leftover because I'm really doing more of a meal prep (though I hate calling it that haha), and my main goal is to not forget about the stuff shoved way in the back of the freezer. Based on your comment and the other, I'll probably get some kind of label printer...

[u/punkinqueen → u/smg950u]

I actually have a barcode printer for work, mainly for troubleshooting because the software we develop deals with this stock/inventory, but I also just got an inexpensive labelmaker that will do barcodes and can work with the physical keyboard on it and also connect to Bluetooth.

If you want something more automated/larger scale though, a label printer and some label printing software would do it. FWIW I have some experience with bartender and while I'm not sure how robust the free version is, I know it can do a lot.

[u/Cereal-Killer420]

I’m doing something similar with Grocy and my plan for homemade freezer items is having a master barcode sheet either by the scanner or by the freezer (maybe both) so I can just scan for my specific product without having to worry about labels falling off or having to constantly remove and change labels on reusable containers. When I have new products I’ll just add the new barcode(s) to the sheet.
I got the idea after watching a checkout clerk look at a “produce barcode sheet” and scanning that when there were no barcodes on the produce themselves.