Drafts vs published passports
Last updated June 12, 2026
The two states at a glance
| Draft | Published | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can see it | Only your team | Anyone with the link or QR code |
| QR code | Preview only — doesn't resolve | Active GS1 Digital Link |
| Counts against plan limit | No | Yes |
| Editable | Yes | Yes — changes go straight to the live page |
| Requirements | None — save anytime | All required fields complete + a GTIN |
The Passports page shows each passport's state as a badge, and you can filter the list by Draft or Published.
What a draft is
Every passport starts as a draft, and a draft can be as incomplete as you like; the editor saves automatically no matter what's filled in. Drafts are private: the editor's QR panel shows a code labelled "Preview — publish to activate", and scanning it shows a neutral notice page ("This passport hasn't been published yet") rather than the passport until you publish.
Because drafts don't count against your plan, you can prepare your whole catalogue in advance, for example by importing products from a CSV, and publish selectively.
What a published passport is
Publishing takes the passport live: it gets a public page and its QR code becomes an active GS1 Digital Link URL built from the passport's GTIN. Anyone who scans the code or opens the link sees the passport. That's also why publishing has requirements a draft doesn't: every field marked To publish must be complete, and the passport needs a GTIN. The full walkthrough is in Publishing a passport.
Changing state
- Draft → Published: click Publish in the Review & publish step of the editor. The button stays disabled until the completeness meter reads Ready to publish — if it won't enable, see Why can't I publish my passport?
- Published → Draft: click Unpublish. You'll be asked to confirm, because unpublishing makes the passport inaccessible to anyone scanning its QR code. The passport returns to draft and its publish slot is freed immediately.
Unpublishing breaks QR codes already in circulation
If the passport's QR code is printed on care labels or hang tags that have shipped, those codes stop working the moment you unpublish. You don't need to unpublish to make changes — see the next section.
What's editable in each state
Both states are fully editable. The difference is where your changes land:
- Drafts — edit freely; nothing is visible outside your team.
- Published passports — you can keep editing, and saved changes update the live public page. There is no separate "pending changes" state, so if you'd rather rework a passport offline, unpublish it first.
Only passports in the Trash can't be edited.
How states count against your plan
Each plan covers a number of published passports: 3 on Free, 50 on Starter, 500 on Pro, 2,000 on Scale. Drafts are unlimited on every plan, and unpublishing a passport frees its slot immediately. The Billing page and the usage indicator on the Passports page show how many of your publish slots are in use.
Previewing before you publish
You never have to publish just to see the result:
- The Preview button in the editor header opens the passport's public page as it would appear live.
- The Preview passport page link in the editor's QR panel does the same.
For a draft, the page renders with a banner: "Draft preview — Only your team can see this page. Publish to make it public." — it's the real public layout, gated to your organization's members.
New to the editor itself? Start with Creating your first passport.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone outside my team see a draft?
No. A draft's page only renders for signed-in members of your organization, with a banner reading 'Draft preview — Only your team can see this page. Publish to make it public.' Anyone else sees a neutral notice page: not an error, but a message that the passport hasn't been published yet.
How many drafts can I have?
As many as you like; drafts are unlimited on every plan. Only published passports count against your plan's publish limit.
Does unpublishing delete my data?
No. Unpublishing returns the passport to draft status with all its data intact. The only effect is that its public page and QR code stop resolving until you publish again.