Marking cosmetics sets in Chestny ZNAK: five products and a scanner

I wanted to put five units of one cosmetics product into a set and sell them together. The goods came from Korea, and each unit already had its own marking code. It seemed I just needed to pack them, attach a label and get on with work.

Instead, I found myself working through the set card, codes, printing and document submission. Along the way, I was trimming strings by hand and remembering why we love Excel so much.

New quests come up regularly in our work. Marking sets was a particularly interesting one. Instructions exist, but I could not immediately turn them into a clear route for my situation. Answers appeared as I hit the next problem.

I would have liked to read someone else’s experience beforehand: what to prepare, where the catch might be, and when to stop and check the result. So I am sharing mine. This experience also led to the Sets section in Dublikat.

The products had codes. The set needed its own

An important distinction: my individual products were already marked, and their National Catalogue cards existed. In my case, I did not need to create those unit cards again.

I needed to prepare the card for the set itself. Its composition lists the product GTIN and quantity. My set contained five identical units, so that meant one GTIN and a quantity of five. Marking codes for the sets are then ordered.

Each product inside retains its own code. The set’s code is linked to the codes of the actual units packed into it. Calling something a “five-piece set” is not enough: the system needs its actual composition. The Chestny ZNAK instructions describe the card and formation requirements.

This is my experience as an importer. How an entrepreneur should work with cards and GTINs for goods bought from another supplier needs a separate investigation. I am not presenting my assumptions about that scenario as instructions.

The scanner entered more than the field expected

When I reached the set composition field in the Chestny ZNAK account, I expected to use a scanner. Scan a code, let it enter the field, then pick up the next item.

But the scanner entered the complete marking code, including its cryptographic tail. The field where I was filling in the composition expected the shorter identification part.

After each scan, I had to delete the extra part by hand. Then do the same for the next product, throughout the set.

That was my first approach. It soon became tedious, so I turned to good old Excel. I made a formula that kept the part needed for my particular case.

The formula now removed the tail, but a new ritual appeared: scan into the spreadsheet, copy the result, switch to the account and paste it. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, over and over.

A few rows are manageable. As you keep assembling sets, you notice how much attention goes into moving text around. The goods are in front of you and the scanner is in your hand, yet the work keeps sending you back to the keyboard.

The copying and pasting got irritating too. I wanted to scan products and assemble the set without editing every string.

I wanted less fuss with labels as well

A set needs a label with its code and the necessary product information. I wanted one layout, with the description and marking printed together.

Every extra sticker uses material and requires another action. With a narrow margin, those things matter, especially when repeated for every set.

If you receive codes in a PDF, another task appears: move them into the printing program while preserving the full code and producing a readable DataMatrix. The short string accepted by the composition field cannot simply be used for printing.

So the physical assembly now comes with separate work on files, a layout and printer settings. It all needs to fit together before printing a batch.

A printed label does not finish the paperwork

After physical assembly, work in Chestny ZNAK remains. For cosmetics, there is an application report and submission of set formation information. This sequence is described in the official instructions.

Check the processing result. Sending a document does not mean the system has accepted it and the set’s records are complete.

Everything may look finished on the table: the products are packed and the label is attached. Work in the account may still be ongoing. That gap is easy to miss if the whole sequence exists only in your head.

I wanted the assembly history alongside the composition: what was packed, which code was used, which documents were submitted and how their processing ended.

That is how Dublikat got its Sets section

Initially, I was solving a problem in my own work. Then I wanted to make the route available to other people dealing with the same hassle.

The Sets section works with prepared National Catalogue cards. Those cards still need to be created in Chestny ZNAK.

You select a set and scan the products. The program checks GTINs and quantities against the card, checks codes and prevents the same unit from being added twice.

Once the composition is complete, you print the set label. You then scan it to confirm that the label belongs to the current set. Assembly history stays on your computer so you can return to the composition and documents later.

Sending documents is a separate action requiring confirmation. For cosmetics, the application report comes first; set formation follows after it is accepted.

This was the sequence I missed while jumping between the scanner, spreadsheet and account. It is now brought together in one program section. Still, start with a test set: your products, scanner and printer need to be checked together.

Always check the first physical label

This is a recommendation I insist on.

Before printing a batch, print one label and check it in the Chestny ZNAK Business app. Check that the code scans and its structure is correct. If a contractor does the printing, ask for this check before the full run.

A good-looking DataMatrix on screen says little about the paper result. Size, printer settings and print quality affect it.

Scanning a label to confirm it in Dublikat serves a particular purpose: matching it to the current set. Checking the physical print in Chestny ZNAK Business is a separate step.

Paying attention to one label is much more pleasant than troubleshooting a batch that already has its stickers attached.

A little humour beside the scanner

The voice assistant appeared because the world is already harsh enough.

I wanted something lively alongside this routine: an assistant who could prompt, encourage and occasionally tease. One of her lines roughly translates as:

“I do the counting, you do the scanning. The perfect relationship.”

Some people prefer a calm voice; others enjoy humour. You can switch the voice off altogether. The more irreverent lines are enabled separately.

When you spend a long time assembling sets, a small touch like that can brighten the work. At least, that was what I wanted.

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This story began with five units that needed to be packed together. It led through manual code editing, an Excel formula and endless copying and pasting. Then came the wish to put the solutions into a program and share what I had wanted to know at the start.

If you face similar work, look at Dublikat’s Sets section, in Russian. It describes capabilities and limitations. First check your scenario on one set, including printing and document processing in Chestny ZNAK. That will help you decide whether this workflow suits your work.