Free Shipping Label Generator

How to make a shipping label

A shipping label is the address panel on the outside of a parcel. Fill in the form on this page and download the PDF. The preview updates as you type.

1. Enter the sender under From Address. Include the name, a company name if you have one, the street, city, state or region, ZIP or postal code, country, and phone.
2. Enter the recipient under To Address with the same fields. This is the delivery address, so read it back before you print.
3. Set the ship date and a service type. The service type is text on the label, such as Standard or Express. Choosing it here does not purchase that service.
4. Enter the package weight and a unit (lb, kg, or oz). Then enter the length, width, and height.
5. Add a tracking number only when a carrier has already issued one. The Generate button fills in an 18-character reference that starts with 1Z. That string is for your own paperwork. It is not issued by a carrier, and it is not a tracking barcode.
6. Add a reference, such as an order number or a purchase order number, and a short handling note if the parcel needs one.
7. Upload a logo in Company Logo if you want the image at the top of the label.
8. Choose a page size. 4x6 is 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall. Letter is 8.5 by 11 inches. A5 landscape is also in the list.
9. Click Download PDF. The file is built in your browser. You do not need an account.

To print a form and write it by hand, use Download blank template (PDF), 4x6 or Download blank template (PDF), letter. The letter file has lines for name, street, city, country, and phone. The 4x6 file keeps name, street, and city so it stays on one thermal page. The filled download uses the size selected under Label size.

What goes on a shipping label

Whoever handles the parcel needs a return address, a delivery address, and a few facts about the package. This template prints the delivery address in a larger block than the return address. Each item below is a field on the form.

• Sender: name, company, street, city, state or region, postal code, country, and phone.
• Recipient: the same address fields, printed larger under Ship To.
• Ship date.
• Weight and the unit you selected (lb, kg, or oz).
• Dimensions: length, width, and height, plus the unit (in or cm).
• Service type, printed as text. It does not buy a carrier service.
• Tracking number, if you entered one. If you did not, the filled PDF shows N/A.
• Reference number, for an order, a purchase order, or an invoice.
• Handling instructions, such as a note that the contents are fragile.
• An optional logo image in the header.

On a filled PDF, an empty address line is left off the label. Date, weight, and dimension labels stay. On a blank template, each fact is an empty line.

Shipping label sizes

The download uses the page size you select. Two sizes match common printers. The third keeps the original page of this tool.

• 4x6 inches is 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall (288 by 432 points). That is the usual thermal shipping label. The PDF page is that size, so a 4x6 thermal printer can print it without scaling. If the printer driver has a fit-to-page or shrink option, turn it off or the address block will shrink.
• Letter size is 8.5 by 11 inches. The same fields sit on a full page for a desktop printer. Cut along the border, or attach the sheet if that is how you hand the parcel over. The blank letter template leaves the same lines empty.
• A5 landscape is about 8.3 by 5.8 inches. It is the original page size of this generator, and it remains in the Label size menu. It is not a 4x6 thermal label. Use it when you already print on A5.

Open the PDF after you download it if the label must sit in a fixed spot on the parcel. A 4x6 file is one page, so keep the handling note short or it may be clipped.

Template vs carrier label

A template label lists addresses and package details. It is not postage.

A label you buy from a carrier such as USPS, UPS, or FedEx includes the postage you paid and a barcode that carrier can scan. This page does not connect to a carrier, does not quote a rate, and does not create that barcode. A tracking number you type, or the 1Z reference from Generate, is only printed as text.

Use this template for a from-and-to label, for a blank form, or for an internal reference on a parcel whose postage you pay another way. When the shipment needs paid postage and a tracking barcode the carrier will scan, buy the label from the carrier.

If the box is going out against a vendor order, write the purchase order first and put the PO number in the reference field here. A packing slip can go inside the box. The shipping label stays on the outside.