GS1 Digital Link connects standard product identifiers to web resources. A product GTIN can be used in a web address, with a serial number when the use case calls for identifying an individual item. See the GS1 Digital Link quick-start guide for details of the standard.

Within Item Twin, this supports a product-level passport as well as serialised item pages. The choice affects how labels are generated and how your team manages individual pieces.

Product-level or item-level identification?

A product-level page holds the information shared by a style or product record. A serialised page adds the identity of a particular piece. For example, several items may share composition and care instructions while each has its own serial number.

Choose the level based on your operational workflow and applicable requirements. More detail is only useful if your team can maintain it. Use serial numbers only if your production process can reliably match each label to the correct item.

Test the physical label

Export a PDF label sheet or QR images from Item Twin and place them in your artwork. Keep the code dark on a light background and preserve the empty margin around it. Avoid folds, stitching or artwork that cuts into the code.

There is no single print size that guarantees a good scan for every label, printer and material. The amount of encoded information, print quality, contrast and final placement all matter. Test the actual production format instead of judging only the design on a screen.

  1. Print one label on the intended printer and material.
  2. Attach or position it as it will appear on the product.
  3. Scan it with more than one phone.
  4. Confirm that the correct product and serial information appear.
  5. Check the page on mobile, then approve the batch.

Keep the address stable when information changes

In Item Twin, product identifiers and serial numbers remain fixed while passport content can be updated. A correction to a care instruction therefore does not require changing the QR address.

The record still needs someone responsible for keeping it accurate. Decide who is authorised to update the product record, how changes are reviewed and what happens when a supplier provides corrected information.

A QR code is not proof of authenticity

A readable QR establishes a link to information. It does not by itself prove that a physical garment is genuine or that every claim in the passport has been independently checked. Treat identification, information quality and verification as separate responsibilities.

See the label and passport features, or return to our textile DPP workflow.