Running a programme · For a printer's production manager and a brand's operations team
Activation and QC
Activation is the one step that turns a printed roll into labels that answer. It comes after printing QC, never before, and it is the reason a leaked file or an overrun verifies nothing.
What to test #
Pull labels from the start, the middle and the end of the run, and scan each on five different phones in shop lighting — the full list is in the artwork spec. Before activation every scan should say We can't verify this code. You are testing that the code reads, not what it says.
What activating does #
- Every code in the batch starts answering by the scan rules: GENUINE, VALID or SCANNED BEFORE.
- The print file stops being downloadable by the partner. From here it is platform-admin only, every download is audited, and the file is purged 30 days later.
- The console's QR preview follows the same rule and audits every look.
After activating #
Re-scan two labels. Now they should say GENUINE. If a run has to be pulled back later, block the batch: every code in it stops reading genuine and starts reading RECALLED, at once.
The alert that watches this step #
Ten or more of your not-yet-activated labels scanned in a week raises an unactivated-codes alert — the earliest warning in the system, because those codes have not shipped. One or two are QC test scans and normal.
Last reviewed 18 Sep 2026 · Something wrong? connect@avrascan.com