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Urn manufacturer program

Printing and engraving specifications

How to put a RetURN.org ID on an urn you make: the artwork, the fonts, the sizes that scan, where it goes and how to use the RetURN.org mark.

A RetURN.org ID: the RetURN.org ID wordmark with the urn mark, the code CP2-R6SY in large type, the line Scan to see their wishes or enter code at RetURN.org/ID, and a QR code on the right.
The standard layout, 2″ × 0.75″, shown at actual proportions.

Start from our artwork.

Download the artwork for each batch you reserve from the RetURN.org IDs tab of your partner portal: SVG with the text already outlined for laser and CNC, 600 dpi PNG for printing, the QR code alone, every RetURN.org ID on one sheet with cut lines, or a CSV. Use it as supplied and scale it as one piece. Every RetURN.org ID carries all four parts:

RetURN.org ID wordmark
The urn mark beside “RetURN.org ID”. It tells whoever finds the urn that the code leads somewhere.
The RetURN.org ID
The code itself, for example CP2-R6SY: capital letters and numbers with the hyphen, exactly as issued. It can be read aloud or typed in when a camera won’t focus.
Instructions
“Scan to see their wishes” and “or enter code @ RetURN.org/ID”, on two lines.
QR code
Opens https://return.org/id/ followed by the RetURN.org ID, error correction level M. Use the code in the artwork. If your software makes QR codes from our CSV, use its qr_url column exactly, with error correction M.

One RetURN.org ID, one urn. Each RetURN.org ID is unique. Use only RetURN.org IDs from your reserved batches, mark each RetURN.org ID only once, and never copy a RetURN.org ID from one piece to another.

Size.

The standard size is 2 inches by 0.75 inches (50.8 by 19.1 mm), the same as our label. Larger is fine if everything scales together. Don’t go smaller than 1.75 by 0.66 inches (44 by 17 mm), where the QR code is half an inch across.

Layout of the standard RetURN.org ID: 2.000 by 0.750 inches with 0.125 inch corners. The text sits on the left; the QR code, 0.583 inches square, sits on the right with at least 0.083 inches of clear space around it. Wordmark · 7.5 pt RetURN.org ID · 16 pt Instructions · 6 pt two lines 2.000 in 0.750 in QR 0.583 in dashed: keep clear, 0.083 in min. corners 0.125 in · margins 0.06 in
Type sizes are at the standard size, and scale with it.
Overall
2.000 × 0.750 in (50.8 × 19.1 mm), 0.125 in corner radius on a label. An engraved panel needs no border.
QR code
0.583 in (14.8 mm) square, 29 × 29 modules, so each module is about 0.5 mm. Never smaller than 0.5 in (12.7 mm).
Clear space around the QR
At least 0.083 in (2.1 mm), about four modules, on every side. Nothing in it: no border, text, seam or texture.
The RetURN.org ID
Courier Prime Bold, about 16 pt. Never below 12 pt.
Wordmark
Familjen Grotesk Bold, about 7.5 pt, with the urn mark the height of its capitals.
Instructions
Familjen Grotesk SemiBold, 6 pt. Never below 5 pt.

Fonts.

Our artwork comes with the text already set, so you only need the fonts if you set it yourself. Both are free to use commercially under the SIL Open Font License.

RetURN.org ID

Familjen Grotesk, Bold for the wordmark and SemiBold for the instructions. Google Fonts

CP2-R6SY

Courier Prime Bold for the RetURN.org ID. Every character is the same width, so the code reads cleanly. Google Fonts

If your machine can’t use these fonts, use a bold sans serif such as Helvetica or Arial for the words, and a bold monospaced font such as Courier New for the RetURN.org ID. The RetURN.org ID stays in capitals, with its hyphen.

Engraving and printing.

Laser engraving, CNC routing, etching, casting, printing or a metal plate all work, if the result is permanent and the QR code scans.

For the QR code to scan

  • Dark marks on a light surface scan best. Light marks on a dark surface can work; test them first.
  • Keep the module edges sharp and square. Rounded or blurred corners make it harder to read.
  • On wood, stone or ceramic, a paint or color fill in the engraving adds contrast.
  • Mark the QR code on a flat area. A gentle curve along the short side is the most it can take.
  • Keep wood grain, seams and texture out of the code and its clear space.

For it to last

  • Mark the urn itself, or a plate fixed to it permanently.
  • Don’t use paper stickers, hang tags or packaging. They come off.
  • If you print, use a process rated for the material and for handling, such as UV-cured ink, ceramic decal or enamel.
  • A clear coat over the marking is fine if it is smooth and not glossy enough to glare when photographed.
  • Prefer the ready-made RetURN.org ID label? Order labels from your partner portal instead.

Placement.

On the bottom of the urn, or the underside of the lid. Somewhere it stays with the urn, is out of the way, and can still be found by someone looking for it.

  • Leave it uncovered by felt pads, base plates, glue or labels added later.
  • Keep it upright to someone who turns the urn over to look.
  • On a piece with a removable base or lid, mark the part that holds the remains.
  • On keepsakes and small urns, use the base, at no less than the minimum size above.

Using the RetURN.org mark.

On the urn, the mark appears only as part of the RetURN.org ID. On your website and in your catalog, use the partner badge.

Do

  • Keep the urn mark and “RetURN.org ID” together, exactly as they are in the artwork.
  • Mark it in one color, the same as the rest of the RetURN.org ID.
  • Spell it RetURN.org, with “URN” in capitals.
  • Show that your urns include a RetURN.org ID with the RetURN.org ID Partner badge.

Don’t

  • Stretch, rotate, outline, recolor or rearrange any part of the RetURN.org ID.
  • Use the mark on its own as decoration, or on a piece with no RetURN.org ID.
  • Put your own logo or text inside the RetURN.org ID or its clear space.
  • Suggest that RetURN.org made, tested or endorses the urn.

Before a production run.

  1. Book your onboarding call from your partner portal. We go through placement, artwork and how families activate the RetURN.org ID.
  2. Mark one piece and scan it with two different phones. Each should open the RetURN.org ID’s page on return.org.
  3. Check that the RetURN.org ID you can read matches the one the QR code opens.
  4. When the run is done, mark those RetURN.org IDs as used in your partner portal.

Questions about a material or a process? Contact us.