A practical printing guide

CSV guest list to tent cards.
Then just the replacements.

A reliable workflow for meal-coded place cards, with stable IDs, checked revisions and a physical-size test.

1. Give each guest a permanent ID

Use four columns: id,name,table,meal. Only ID and name are required. An ID is not a table number: it identifies the same person even when they move tables or change their display name. IDs are case-sensitive, must be unique, and should never be recycled mid-project.

id,name,table,meal
G001,Alex Rivera,1,VEG
G002,Sam Taylor,1,FISH
G003,"Laurent, Zoë",2,CHICKEN

Those meal strings are fictional examples, not a dietary standard. Agree actual codes with your venue and check their catering records separately. TablePatch cannot assess allergies or dietary safety.

In Excel or another spreadsheet, set the ID column to text before entering IDs. Otherwise 001 may become 1 before export. TablePatch preserves IDs as they appear in the CSV; it cannot reconstruct characters your spreadsheet removed.

2. Export a CSV, not an XLSX workbook

Choose CSV UTF-8 in your spreadsheet’s export or Save As options. Comma-separated CSV is the simplest route. The app also detects tab-separated and semicolon-separated input. Quoted commas are supported, as the example above shows. Header aliases such as guest_id, guest name, table_number and meal_code are recognized.

Avoid merged cells, blank IDs, repeated IDs and newlines inside guest fields. The app stops on ambiguous or malformed input, instead of producing cards with guessed names.

3. Import and inspect the original list

Open the working demo, import the original list, and check the preview. Choose A4 or US Letter. The card is 85 mm wide and 80 mm high before folding, or 85 × 40 mm once folded. Six cards fit on each blank sheet. This is not an Avery or other pre-cut stock template.

Print the calibration sheet first. Its line must be exactly 100 mm. Use actual size / 100% scale, select the paper size that matches the app, choose print margins None, and turn off browser headers and footers. Do not use “Fit to page”. Check your printer’s permitted cardstock weight before switching from a plain-paper test.

4. Compare the complete revised list

Import the latest complete guest list using the same IDs. The app reports added, changed, removed and unchanged guests. Changed means a different name, table or meal string. New IDs are additions; missing IDs are removals.

If you import only the changed rows, every omitted guest appears removed. If you change a guest’s ID, the app correctly treats that as removal plus addition. Fix the source rather than assuming the app can tell which two names belong to the same person.

5. Review, reprint, and remove obsolete cards

Choose “Only added / changed guests”, or select individual guests. Look at the before/after details. Removed guests are never printed, but their old physical cards need to be removed by you. A cancelled print dialog does not mark anything as printed.

The comparison concerns guest data only. If you change the event line or design after printing the first run, choose “All current guests” if you want the whole set to match. The app does not track a physical print history.

6. Save a PDF and check the actual output

Use Print / Save PDF and choose the browser’s PDF destination. Text remains selectable. Font support comes from your device; check accented and non-Latin names in the saved PDF. Very long names may need a shorter display form. Print one sheet, measure it, cut the solid outer edges, score the dashed middle line, and fold.

The paid offline version adds local project save/reopen and three styles. It does not automatically back up guest lists. A downloaded JSON project contains the guest data: store and share it as carefully as your original spreadsheet.

Alternatives and limits

Free mail merge may already be enough. Avery Design & Print is one option; your word processor may also have mail merge. TablePatch focuses on the revision-to-replacement workflow rather than a full stationery suite.

Raw XLSX, automatic seating plans, custom card dimensions, pre-cut labels, graphic uploads and allergy handling are outside this version’s scope. Mobile is useful for preview; desktop is recommended for printing.

This guide describes the implemented workflow, not a promise of sales, physical printer certification, or universal compatibility.