A method for applying a measurement scale to a linear profile rail guide carriage surface, the guide carriage being guided on a guide rail linearly and longitudinally toward the guide rail and having a first side surface extending longitudinally, the measurement scale including at least one track extending linearly and longitudinally, including several mirror regions arranged alternately one behind the other, and marking regions, uses a pulsed laser to generate a laser beam and introduces a microstructure in a first region corresponding to at least one first side surface marking region. A sequence of light pulses is directed at the first region so that the laser beam is moved two-dimensionally relative to the first region to irradiate successively different subregions of the first region by the light pulses. Each different irradiated subregion has an overlap in, or transverse to, the longitudinal direction with at least two other irradiated subregions.