Running a programme · For a printer's production manager

What is in the print file

A batch's print file comes as three exports, each built in the background and each a button on the batch's page: CSV, QR ZIP and Excel. One table, two renderings: the CSV is for variable-data printing, the Excel is for people to look at.

The files #

The three exports do not hold the same files:

CSV — a bare codes.csv, the table for variable-data printing. No manifest, no checksums, no README.
QR ZIP — README.txt, codes.csv, manifest.csv, the qr/ folder of SVG files (and qr2/ when the batch has a second QR), and SHA256SUMS.txt.
Excel — README.txt, codes.csv, manifest.csv, the labels as batch_<id>_part_NN.xlsx files of 5,000 labels each, and SHA256SUMS.txt.

Download the QR ZIP or the Excel export when you need the manifest and checksums; the CSV export is the bare table for VDP.

Files in an AVRA print export
File	What it is	Print from it?
`qr/` and `qr2/` (SVG files)	One vector file per code: `qr/` for the shelf QR, `qr2/` for a second QR when the batch has one. Scales to any size with no loss.	Yes.
`codes.csv`	One row per label, one column per thing. For variable-data printing.	Yes — through your own VDP software.
`batch_<id>_part_NN.xlsx`	The same labels with the QR embedded as an image, 5,000 labels to a file, for human handover and sign-off.	No. The image is 338 dpi at 15 mm. It is for looking at.
`manifest.csv`	One row describing the batch: batch id, batch name, brand, product, line, mode, the second factor, the label range, the verification limit, lot number, the printed dates and the special price, when it was generated (IST), and the scan URL the codes were built against.	For the job bag and for QC.
`README.txt`	What each file is and which columns this batch has, for whoever opens the folder next.	No.
`SHA256SUMS.txt`	A checksum per file, taken as each file was written.	To prove the file you hold is the file AVRA built.

qr/ and qr2/ (SVG files)
What it is
One vector file per code: qr/ for the shelf QR, qr2/ for a second QR when the batch has one. Scales to any size with no loss.
Print from it?
Yes.
codes.csv
What it is
One row per label, one column per thing. For variable-data printing.
Print from it?
Yes — through your own VDP software.
batch_<id>_part_NN.xlsx
What it is
The same labels with the QR embedded as an image, 5,000 labels to a file, for human handover and sign-off.
Print from it?
No. The image is 338 dpi at 15 mm. It is for looking at.
manifest.csv
What it is
One row describing the batch: batch id, batch name, brand, product, line, mode, the second factor, the label range, the verification limit, lot number, the printed dates and the special price, when it was generated (IST), and the scan URL the codes were built against.
Print from it?
For the job bag and for QC.
README.txt
What it is
What each file is and which columns this batch has, for whoever opens the folder next.
Print from it?
No.
SHA256SUMS.txt
What it is
A checksum per file, taken as each file was written.
Print from it?
To prove the file you hold is the file AVRA built.

The columns, by line #

Batch

Columns, in print order

informational, authenticity single, warranty: label, qr
certificate: label, qr, then the issuer's own columns
authenticity dual: label, qr, then qr2 or scratch
rewards with a scratch code: label, qr, scratch
rewards with two QRs: label, qr, qr2

qr2 is a URL for a second QR; scratch is a short code printed as plain text. The second column is qr2 when the second factor is scanned and scratch when it is typed. A certificate batch's export also carries the issuer's own columns, so the document can actually be printed.

codes.csv is UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, so Excel and most VDP tools open it without an import wizard.

The one rule about row order #

Keep the row order. An imposition job that re-sorts rows pairs a QR with a different label's second factor, and every mis-paired label is either a reward paid on a pack nobody bought or a genuine pack that reads as fake. The label column is your check, and QC's way of finding label 4,312 on a roll. The full artwork rules are in the artwork spec.

Why a data cell cannot run a formula #

Every CSV data cell we emit passes one guard that neutralises a leading =, +, -, @, tab, CR or LF. The Excel bundle writes every data cell as text, never as something Excel may read as a formula. A certificate batch's header row is not guarded yet; see In progress on the security page.

Last reviewed 19 Oct 2026 · Something wrong? connect@avrascan.com