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Label printers

Everything you need to know to print shipping labels efficiently, from household A4 printers to professional thermal printers.

A4 printer (inkjet or laser)

The most common and accessible solution. If you already have a printer at home or in the office, you can print shipping labels without any additional purchase.

Advantages

  • No additional cost if you already own a printer
  • Prints on standard A4 paper (80-90 g/m²)
  • Sufficient quality for barcodes and QR codes
  • Works with any carrier and platform

Printing tips

  • Print quality: "Normal" or "Draft" is sufficient — high quality is not needed
  • Scale: make sure the PDF is printed at 100% (no automatic scaling)
  • Margins: in printer settings, select "No margins" or "Minimum margins"
  • Paper: standard A4 paper works fine; avoid glossy photo paper

Tip: LabelFixer is optimised for this exact scenario. The 12mm safe margin from the edge accounts for the physical limits of most A4 printers.

Thermal label printer

The professional choice for those shipping many parcels daily. Prints directly on adhesive labels, no scissors or tape needed.

Advantages

  • Direct printing on adhesive labels — peel and stick
  • No ink or toner (thermal printing)
  • High speed: ideal for medium-high volumes
  • Very low cost per label

Common formats

  • 4×6 inches (100×150mm): the standard format for shipping labels. Compatible with most carriers.
  • 4×4 inches (100×100mm): used by some postal services.
  • Continuous roll: some printers support roll printing with automatic cutting.

Popular brands

Among the most popular thermal printers for e-commerce sellers: Zebra (GK/ZD series), Brother (QL series), DYMO (LabelWriter), Rollo, MUNBYN. For beginners, MUNBYN and Rollo offer good value with simple USB setup.

With LabelFixer: even if you have a thermal printer, LabelFixer is useful for cropping and resizing the label to the correct format before printing, especially when the carrier's PDF includes excessive margins.

Practical tips

How do I check if the label is readable?

Check that the barcode and QR code are sharp and not blurry. A scale of 70-100% is generally sufficient. If the label is too small, the carrier's optical reader may not be able to scan it.

Can I use adhesive paper with an A4 printer?

Yes, A4 adhesive sheets compatible with inkjet and laser printers are available. You can print the label, cut along the cut marks and stick it directly on the parcel without tape.

Does the carrier accept resized labels?

Generally yes, as long as the barcode is readable. If you reduce the label too much (below 60-70%), the risk of the optical reader failing increases. LabelFixer always shows the selected scale to help you choose.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. Shipping labels work perfectly in black and white. Printing in greyscale saves ink with no loss of functionality.

Ready to prepare your labels?

Open LabelFixer