# Create and print QCards

QCards are printed barcode instruction sheets — this guide generates them: the coding-time choice, the field values that print, the options that control splitting and lookups, and the DocType QCard that switches types mid-stack.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: catalog-administrator · Time: 15 minutes · Last verified: 2026-09-05

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/create-and-print-qcards

**At the end of this guide you can generate the QCard a job needs — a printed instruction sheet the scanner reads so paper can be indexed before it's ever scanned — and you'll know what the barcode actually does, which explains most QCard surprises.**

## What a QCard really is

A QCard is a PDF cover sheet carrying a barcode and, printed as text, its instructions: the catalog, the document type, field values, where the documents should go. The crucial mechanic: **the barcode encodes only a reference** — the instructions live in Content Central, and the barcode points at them. That's why a QCard is generated fresh for each job rather than photocopied from last week's: a copy points at *last week's* instructions.

## Generate a QCard

1. In the left menu, expand **Capture New** and choose **QCard**.

2. Set **Document Properties** — the same coding-time choice as other capture types: **Provide now** (enter field values here; they print on the card and apply to the scanned documents), **Provide later in Coding Queue**, **Provide some now, some later**, or **Provide only Catalog & Document Type**.

3. Pick the **Catalog** and **Document Type**, and fill in fields if you chose to provide them now. (With **Provide later in Coding Queue** the page asks for nothing more — even catalog and type get decided later, in the queue.)

4. Open **Options** for the refinements:
   - **Use fixed page count** + **Fixed page count** — split every N pages instead of waiting for the next QCard; for stacks of uniform documents.
   - **Perform lookup at capture time** — run the document type's lookups when the scan is processed, so one keyed value fills in the rest.
   - **Include end-of-document QCard** — adds a stop card to the PDF, for marking where a document *ends* when trailing pages shouldn't join it.

5. Click **Go**. The QCard PDF renders on the right — **Download** it, or print it straight away.

*[Screenshot: The card itself: two barcodes (a version mark and the card's ID — the pointer to its stored instructions), the catalog and type spelled out, and the field values chosen at generation printed under Document Properties.]*

> **NOTE:** Field values print on the card only for fields whose administrator turned on **Print field on QCards.** — everything else prints as `<hidden>`. The values still apply either way; printing is about what a passerby can read off the sheet. And under your preferences, **QCard Options** offers **Automatically print QCards** (plus **Use default printer without prompting**) for high-volume days.

## The DocType QCard: switching types mid-stack

**Capture New** > **DocType QCard** is deliberately minimal — Catalog, Document Type, **Go**. Its printed sheet says what it does: "This QCard will change the Document Type, but retain the field values of the previous QCard." Slip one into a stack where an invoice's supporting pages become a packing slip: same PO number carries forward, new type from that sheet on.

## Append and Replace QCards

An existing document's actions menu offers **Get QCard** inside its **Append** and **Replace** submenus. The generated card targets *that document*: scan it ahead of new pages and the capture pipeline appends them to (or replaces) the original — paper-driven revisions, no computer at the scanner.

## If QCard is missing from your Capture New menu

Administrators control which capture types appear (**System Settings** > **Capture Settings** > **Capture-Type Visibility**) — an absent entry means it's turned off for your organization, and browsing to it directly answers "This capture type has been disabled by your administrator."

**Success check:** generate a QCard with a field value you set to print, and check the sheet — the barcode, the catalog and type, and your value all legible. Then put it to work: [Scan stacks with QCard separator sheets](/content-central/capture/scan-stacks-with-qcard-separator-sheets).

## What's next

- [Scan stacks with QCard separator sheets](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/scan-stacks-with-qcard-separator-sheets)
- [Scan documents with DirectScan](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/scan-documents-with-directscan)