How to Store Price Lists and Menu Cards Digitally
For traders, dealers, schools, colleges, hostels, hotels and restaurants — why to keep every dated version of your price list, fee structure, tariff or menu card, and how to store and share it.
By the IDBANKQR team · · 6 min read
For a trader, a dealer, a school, a hostel or a restaurant, the price list is the document customers look at most — and it's also the one that changes most often. Rates go up with supplier costs, fees are revised every academic year, room tariffs change with the season, and a menu card is reprinted whenever a dish is added. Once the new version goes up, the old one usually goes in the bin. Keeping every version digitally, with the date it took effect, gives you a clear record of what was charged, when — and an up-to-date copy that's always on your phone.
Who needs to keep price lists and menu cards
| Business | Documents worth keeping |
|---|---|
| Traders & wholesalers | Your own rate list for customers, and every price list received from suppliers and manufacturers. |
| Dealers & distributors | Company price lists and MRP lists, dealer margin and scheme circulars, and your retail price list. |
| Schools | Fee structure for each class — tuition, admission, transport, exam and activity fees — plus book and uniform price lists. |
| Colleges | Course-wise fee structure, hostel and mess fees, exam and certificate fees, and any fee notice issued to students. |
| Hostels & PGs | Room tariff (single, double, shared), mess charges, deposit and refund terms, and extra-service charges. |
| Hotels & lodges | Room tariff card, seasonal and weekend rates, extra-bed and food-plan charges, banquet and event packages. |
| Restaurants, cafés & canteens | Dine-in menu card, parcel and delivery menus, combo and party-order price lists. |
The same idea works for clinics and labs (consultation and test charges), salons, tuition centres, repair shops, transporters — any business that publishes a list of prices.
Why keep the old versions too
- Answering questions about a bill. When a customer, guest or parent asks why they were charged a certain amount, the price list that was in force on that date settles it in seconds.
- Fee revisions mid-year. Schools, colleges and hostels are often asked what the fee was when a student joined. The dated fee structure is the clearest answer.
- Tracking supplier increases. Traders and dealers can compare this year's supplier price list with last year's before agreeing to a new rate.
- Planning the next revision. Seeing how prices moved over time makes the next revision easier to decide and explain.
- Your accounts. Your accountant can match invoices against the rates that applied at the time.
How to capture a price list or menu card
A printed card or notice
Take a photo with Take Photo on Add New ID, or use Scan Document for a menu or fee booklet with several pages — capture each page, straighten it by dragging the corners, and combine the pages into one PDF. Photograph in even daylight and check that every item and price is readable before you save.
A file you designed
If the list was made in a word processor, spreadsheet or design app, export it as a PDF and upload that — it's sharper than a photo of the printout. Files can be JPG, PNG or PDF up to 2 MB; larger photos are compressed automatically.
Storing it in IDBANKQR.COM
Choose the Price List / Menu Card type on Add New ID and put the details that matter in the fields, so each version is easy to tell apart and to find with search:
- Document name: "Menu Card – effective 01 Oct 2026" or "Fee Structure – Class 6 to 10, 2026–27"
- Issue date: the date the prices took effect
- Expiry date: the date it stops applying, if it's seasonal or for one academic year
- Description: what changed from the previous version, and who approved it
One version per document. Add each new price list as a new document instead of replacing the file in the old one — that's what keeps the history. Every version counts towards your plan's document limit, so a business that revises often may prefer a larger plan; see Pricing.
Sharing a price list
To send the current list to a customer, parent, guest or supplier, generate a QR code for it from My Documents or your Dashboard. Choose View only, or View + Print if they need a printout, and how long it works — a single scan, 10 minutes, 1 hour or 24 hours. They just scan it with their phone camera, no account needed. See How to Share Documents Securely Using a QR Code for the details.
Not for a permanent table-top or notice-board QR. IDBANKQR share codes expire on purpose — that's right for private documents, but not for a menu that customers scan every day. For a permanent QR on restaurant tables, a hostel notice board or a shop counter, point a QR code at a public web page with your menu or rates, and keep the dated versions in your vault as your record.
A simple routine
- Every time prices change, add the new list the same day, dated from when it takes effect.
- Add supplier or company price lists as soon as you receive them.
- At the start of each academic year or season, check that the current fee structure or tariff card is in the vault.
For a system that covers all your other business and personal documents too, see How to Organize Important Documents Digitally.