How to set up the registration desk
Each printing point needs a power socket, a wired network connection (or a 4G router), a laptop or tablet with a browser, the label printer and a code scanner. Each printer serves two staffed points, and what speeds up the queue most is people arriving with their badge on their phone.
Guides · Updated 18/10/2026
What you need
| What | What for | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Zebra label printer | Prints each person’s badge, in black, on labels of about 57 × 51 mm | Us |
| Print server | Receives the print jobs and passes them to the printer | Us |
| USB code scanner | Reads the QR code or barcode on the badge each person brings | Us |
| Labels and template | Up to 500 labels, with your event’s template already loaded | Us |
| Power socket | For the printer, the server and the laptop. A power strip per desk is best. | You |
| Wired network connection | The print server is wired. If the venue has no network socket, we send you a 4G router | You, or our 4G router (extra) |
| Laptop or tablet with a browser | To look people up and type in their details. The panel doesn’t work on a phone | You |
| One person at each point | Desks are always staffed | You, or one of our technicians for half a day or a full day |
| Badge cards, holders, lanyards or wristbands | What the label is stuck on and what people wear | You, or us as part of an accreditation pack |
How many points to set up
Each point takes between 30 and 90 seconds per person, and each printer serves two points. The maths, with examples, is in the guide How many registration points do I need?, and the Print Service calculator does it for you.
How to organise the queue
- Email the badge before the event. Someone arriving with their code on their phone gets through in about 30 seconds; someone who has to be looked up or signed up can take up to a minute and a half.
- Put a greeter before the desk to remind people to have their badge open on their phone.
- Keep the queue for people with their code separate from people who aren’t on the list or need something corrected, and keep one point just for those issues.
- Get badge cards, holders and lanyards ready beforehand. Putting them together at the desk is what makes each badge take longest.
On the day
- Before: the box arrives with your event’s template loaded.
- Setting up: allow an hour before the doors open. That’s time to plug in the printer and the server, connect the network cable, open the panel, print a test label and brief the desk staff.
- During: the code is scanned or the person is looked up by name, and their label prints. If someone turns up who wasn’t registered, they’re signed up at the desk.
- Afterwards: pack everything back in the box and it comes back to us.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the venue’s Wi-Fi?
The print server is wired. If there’s no network socket, we send you a 4G router.
Does it work without internet?
No. The print server receives jobs over the internet, so it goes on a network cable or our 4G router.
Can I use my phone instead of a laptop?
No: the panel works in the browser of a laptop or tablet, not on a phone.
Can you staff the desk?
Yes. One of our technicians for half a day or a full day, or the full service, with staff included.
Shall we send you a desk ready to plug in?
The Print Service comes with the printer, the server, the scanner, the labels and your event’s template.