How to Print Shipping Labels on A4 Paper
Not every seller has a thermal printer. An ordinary A4 inkjet or laser printer can print shipping labels, and it is a reasonable choice for low volumes if you cut and stick the labels yourself.
When A4 makes sense
A4 works for small daily volumes or while you are starting out. It costs more in time per label, because you must cut and attach each one. At higher volumes a thermal printer is usually more practical.
Print settings
- Paper size: A4, matching the paper in the tray.
- Scale: 100% or Actual size, not Fit, so the barcode keeps its proportions.
- Margins: Default or Minimum. Check that nothing at the label edge is cut off.
- Quality: Normal or High. Draft mode can make barcodes hard to scan.
- Colour: black and white is fine for most labels.
Several labels on one sheet
The cropper outputs one cropped label per page. It does not arrange several labels on a single A4 sheet. If you want that, use your PDF viewer or printer driver, which often has a Multiple pages per sheet option. Keep that scaling at 100% where the driver allows it, and scan-test the barcode afterwards.
Before you cut and stick
- Print one page and scan the barcode.
- Leave a small border so cutting does not clip the label.
- Use clear tape or label sheets that do not cover the barcode with glare.
- Do not fold the label across the barcode.
Related
Crop first with the Flipkart or Meesho cropper. If printing goes wrong, see common label printing problems.
Further resources
- How to fix shipping label printing problems – Fix clipped, tiny or blurry labels and barcodes that will not scan.