A workshop, a yoga class, a front desk, a Saturday volunteer shift: someone usually wants a list of who came and when. A clipboard sheet does the job, until you need last month's page. This guide walks through what a sign-in sheet usually has on it, then how to print one or keep the list on your phone with Sign-in Cat, our sign-in book for iPhone.
What goes on a sign-in sheet
Keep it short. Every extra column is one more thing people have to fill in at the door.
- A title and a date at the top, so a loose page still says what it was for.
- A number for each row. It makes the list easy to count and easy to refer to.
- Name. The one column every sheet needs.
- Time in, and time out if people come and go, like visitors or a volunteer shift. A class or an event usually needs only the time in.
- One or two details, only if you'll use them: a company, who they're here to see, a phone number, an email for a follow-up, a reason for the visit, a car registration.
- A signature column, if you want one.
Ask only what you need. Rules about keeping people's details differ from place to place, so check yours before you add a column for a phone number or an email.
Start a sign-in book
In Sign-in Cat, each place, class or event gets its own sign-in book, and every day goes into it. On the home screen, under New sign-in book, tap one of four tiles:
- Visitors asks for Company and Here to see, and people sign out.
- Class or club asks for the name only, with times in.
- Event or open day asks for Email, with times in.
- Workers on site asks for Company and Phone, and people sign out.
These are only starting points. Tap the settings button at the top right of the book to change them. Under Name, type the book's name, which prints at the top of every list and sheet, and a front desk line, such as Please sign in. Under Ask for, besides the name, switch on what you need from Company, Here to see, Phone, Email, Reason for visit and Vehicle. People sign out adds a time out. Running volunteer shifts? Turn it on to see when each shift ended.
Print a blank sign-in sheet
Want paper on a clipboard? Open the book, tap Print & share at the bottom, and pick Blank sheet. (In a new book you can also tap Print a blank sheet instead.)
The sheet has the same columns as your book: #, NAME, the details you ask for, TIME IN and, if people sign out, TIME OUT. At the top are the book's name, your front desk line (Please sign in unless you write your own) and a DATE line to fill in. The rows are numbered and carry on from page to page, so page two starts where page one ended. When the columns won't fit across, the page turns sideways.
Under Options, the Signature column is on to start with; switch it off if you don't need it. Pick Letter or A4, choose how many pages to print, up to 10, then tap Print blank sheets or Share PDF.
Or sign people in on the iPhone
There are two ways, and you can use both in the same book.
- Sign them in yourself. Open the book and tap Sign in. Type the name and any details, then tap Sign in. Forgot someone? Turn on Signed in earlier and pick the time. People who came before are listed under Signed in before: tap a name to sign them in again with the same details.
- Hand over the front desk. Tap Front desk and give people the phone. They tap Sign in and type their name and what the book asks. The front desk never shows anyone else's name. A half-filled form goes back to the welcome screen after about a minute and a half without typing. To leave, press and hold Exit. In a book's settings you can set a 4-digit code, shared by all your books, that's asked before leaving.
In a book where people sign out, they can sign out at the front desk by typing their full name exactly as they signed in, or you tap Sign out on their row under Here now. At closing time, tap Sign everyone out. Tap any sign-in to fix a name, a detail or a time.
Print, share or export the list
Tap Print & share and pick The list. Choose the days: Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days or Every day. Each day starts on a new page. Then:
- Print the list sends it to your printer.
- Share PDF opens the share sheet with the PDF.
- Share as a spreadsheet (CSV) gives one row per sign-in, with the date, the name, the details and the times.
For one earlier day, open it under Earlier days and tap the printer.
Before the event
Letting people know it's on? See how to make a flyer on iPhone. Selling places? See how to make event tickets on iPhone. Paying people for their shifts? See how to make a timesheet on iPhone.
What it costs
Sign-in Cat is free, with unlimited books, people and days. Signing in and out, the front desk, search, the list as a PDF or a spreadsheet, and blank sheets cost nothing. There's no watermark, no ads, no sign-up, no account, no trial and no subscription. Sign-in Cat Pro, a one-time purchase, adds three extras: Signatures (people sign with a finger, and each signature prints next to their name), Your own questions, in words or as a tick box, and Your logo on the front desk and on every list and sheet you print. More on the Sign-in Cat page.
Everyone who signs in is kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print the list. Sign-in Cat keeps a list of who signed in and when. It isn't a security, safety or visitor-management system, and it doesn't check who anyone is.
Quick answers
How do I make a sign-in sheet for free?
In Sign-in Cat, start a book, tap Print & share, pick Blank sheet and print it. Or sign people in on the phone and print or share the list afterwards. Both are free, with no watermark.
How do I make a signup sheet instead?
Use the same columns: a number, the name and the one or two details you need. A Sign-in Cat book with no sign-out, like Class or club, prints a sheet with the name and a time-in column, and no time out.
What should a sign-in sheet have?
A title, a date, numbered rows, the name, the time in (and out, if people leave), and only the details you'll really use.
Try Sign-in Cat
Try Sign-in Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/signin-cat