The Anatomy of a Shipping Label
- The name and address of the sender.
- The name and address of the recipient.
- A MaxiCode – a code that can be read in any direction by a machine.
- The Routing Code – informs how to route the package within the sorting section.
- The Postal Barcode – the zip code of the destination.
Contents
How do you structure a shipping label?
A Sample Shipping Label Explained
- Recipient Name & Address, the package’s destination.
- Package Weight, including the item being shipped and the box/packaging.
- Unidirectional Code, or maxicode, designed to be read by a machine in any direction.
- Postal Barcode, or IMpb code, the recipient’s scannable zip code.
Which way does a shipping label go?
Labels must be fully placed on the address side of the package and not folded over package edges. Use clear shipping tape to securely affix labels on all four sides. Do not tape over the “Postal Use” area on Priority Mail Express® labels or the barcodes.
Does a shipping label need to be flat?
No. You can place your postage label just about anywhere on your package, just as long as it is easily identifiable and legible for carriers.
Can a shipping label be folded?
Folding/bending/wrapping.
Never fold or bend shipping labels on the edges of boxes and always place barcodes lengthwise on tube packaging.
Can I put clear tape over a shipping label?
Can I tape over a shipping label? You can use clear tape on all four sides of your shipping label to secure it to your package. It is not recommended that you tape over the bar code or any other scannable elements or the scan might fail.
Can shipping labels be bent?
Whenever applying a label to a package, the label must be placed on the address side of the package.DO not wrap shipping labels around any edge of the shipping container. Barcode scanners cannot read labels that are bent or wrapped around a package.
Can a shipping label be too small?
A normal shipping label is about 6″x4″. 7″x5″ is fine, too. It should be no bigger than a half a sheet of letter-sized paper (or A4 paper, if you’re not from the US). Bigger than that will still technically work, but the extra work they require may delay your package.
Can a box be too small to ship?
If your box is smaller than that, USPS and UPS could technically reject your package…It’s best to use a box that’s at least as big as the minimum dimensions… but if there’s no way for you to do that, we recommend putting the box into a small poly mailer envelope when shipping it.
Can you put clear tape over a USPS barcode?
Use clear shipping tape to securely affix labels on all four sides and to cover address areas. Do not tape over the “Postal Use” area on the Express Mail label, the barcodes, or the stamps.
Can a shipping label be handwritten?
Can I handwrite a shipping label? You can handwrite the shipping address (as long as its eligible), but you will still need a carrier barcode, which needs to be generated by the carrier. Depending on the volume of orders you’re fulfilling, handwriting shipping addresses can become time-consuming.
How do I set up shipping with USPS?
With USPS.com, your Post Office is where you are. To start Click-N-Ship® service, sign in to or sign up for a free USPS.com account. Follow the steps to enter your package details, pay for postage, and print your shipping label. It’s that easy to Pay, Print & Ship®!
How do I print a shipping label on regular paper?
Turn on your printer and make sure it’s loaded with regular paper. Click “File” on the top menu and select “Print.” A pop-up box will appear. Select the appropriate printer and click “OK.” Your shipping label will print out. Cut or fold the shipping label and tape it to your package.
Does USPS print labels for free?
USPS Label Broker feature gives customers of the postal service easy and convenient access to shipping labels when they don’t have a printer at home. Anyone who doesn’t have a printer can use this service to purchase shipping labels and then have them printed for free.
Why can’t I print a USPS shipping label?
Cause: The USPS website specifically calls the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader Internet Explorer plug-in to generate the “Print Box” containing the shipping label. When PDF Converter Professional 4 is installed it becomes the default PDF viewer in Internet Explorer unless the user specifies otherwise.
Do shipping labels have to be a certain size?
What size should I use for USPS shipping labels? The USPS preferred label size is the shipping industry standard of 4×6 inches. Because a single standard size isn’t practical for all packages, shipping labels also come in 6×3 inch and a 4×4 inch sizes.
Can I shrink USPS shipping label?
How small? You can wrap the label around if you box is not overly small. Spacing must be adequate for the machine to be able to read the bar code and for the carrier to read. Before you buy postage, you may want to ask your post office first if the size you want to use is acceptable.
Can barcodes be read through tape?
So long as the tape isn’t transparent and the bar code of the label cannot be scanned. All carriers with the exception of the USPS (or if you use a handwritten label from another carrier) do not READ the address from the physical label.
Can I print UPS labels on regular paper?
Can I print my label on regular printer paper? A. Yes! You can print your labels on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, or you can purchase self-adhesive labels that meet the size requirements of the label.
Will a faded barcode still scan USPS?
No, They will manually enter the Tracking Number. If they can not read the barcode and the tracking number is missing they will deliver it without the scan. But both being missing is very rare. (They can also look up the tracking number based on the shipping address and/or delivery address).
Can I put two shipping labels on one box?
USPS rules allow only one address per package, to avoid confusion. Two labels with the same address is still, technically, not allowed.