USPS Shipping Label Printer

[John Coloccia]

So I'm shipping more and more via USPS. I want to be able to print out self-adhesive shipping labels. What's a reasonable way to do this? Ideally, I would want to print labels SMALLER than I usually get out of my printer currently, as I'm usually shipping small items.

Thanks for any help.

[Paul Wunder]

Have you looked into WWW.Stamps.com?

[Lee Schierer]

Avery Labels makes a lot of different sized peel and stick labels that can be printed by either ink jet or laser printers using Word (or Open Office). They have free templates available for all of their labels.

[John Coloccia]

Have you looked into WWW.Stamps.com?

I haven't really. Well, I mean I looked briefly at their site, but I can't make heads or tails out of what they actually do. I ship most things priority mail, and I can't figure out what, exactly, Stamps.com does that I can't simply do through USPS directly, or through Paypal. I think they're more geared towards metered postage for 1st class mail, best I can figure.

re: Avery labels
Do they make labels that will actually stick to a package and stay stuck? Even if they do, I don't know how I'd get USPS or PayPal to print properly to the label. Every time I print I get a full page, and then I need to cut it in half, and then I need to tape it down. There must be a way to simply print out a shipping label that I can slap down without all of this other nonsense, right?

[Tony Joyce]

You can get full sheet labels(8-1/2" X 11") from online labels.com. That would eliminate the taping anyway.

[Jim Koepke]

Avery Labels makes a lot of different sized peel and stick labels that can be printed by either ink jet or laser printers using Word (or Open Office). They have free templates available for all of their labels.

Avery also has online programs for setting up labels.

One caveat here, an ink jet printed label may have problems if exposed to moisture as in rain.

You may want to check to see if you need to get a laser printer.

We receive packages all the time with printed labels including the postal information on the label. There is likely a product to fit your needs.

Search > shipping with paypal < for a starting point.

jtk

[Jim Tobias]

John,
Check out the two sites below and see if these might do.

https://store.usps.com/store/browse/...MSS_MSS_Labels

https://www.labeluniverse.com/usps

Jim

[John Coloccia]

Ah...now we're talking

So it looks like I can turn off the stupid receipt if I print through PayPal. It also looks like I can get a printer from Zebra that will spit these things out on cheap, thermal paper. I may just end up doing that. These labels are ridiculously expensive. Some of them are in the $.50 per label range, which doesn't seem like a lot but if you ship a lot, it adds up to real money, real fast.

[Rich Engelhardt]

It also looks like I can get a printer from Zebra that will spit these things out on cheap, thermal paper. I may just end up doing that.

Just so you're aware....
I used to have a couple of customers that used Zebra printers.
They work great for printing labels.

Yes - the thermal paper is inexpensive. That's where it stops though.
The thermal transfer bar has a limited life (we replaced them on average of three times a year @ a cost of $500 per replacement).
The customers were tickled pink since we had covered them under a yearly maintenance contract for $295.

Make sure you check on repairs and how they are handled.
Our costs were excessive because the only Zebra repair center was located in upper Mich. and we were charged actual travel time plus mileage to and back from the repair site.
The customers couldn't be without the printers for the length of time it would have taken to ship them.
When those printers were down, their shipments came to a stop.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

stamps.com and endicia.com are both a shipping service that you typically pay $16/mo to create pre-paid shipping labels and print on your own printer. If I remember correct, you purchase say $25-$2000 worth of postage and then draw on that amount each time you need to print a label. Stamps.com offers a free 5 lb scale to entice you to come to them. Endicia has bundle packages with 10-25 lb scales and Dymo printers. They do essentially everything that USPS.com and PayPal shipping can do for you, as well as print postage on envelopes, print "hidden" postage, and give you easier access to your history.

I agree with Rich. I've worked on a few of the thermal printers in my past. They are great workhorses when they are working. When they have a problem, they usually have a more serious issue which you end up needing to use an alternative printer until it's repaired or replaced.

[John Coloccia]

Just so you're aware....
I used to have a couple of customers that used Zebra printers.
They work great for printing labels.

Yes - the thermal paper is inexpensive. That's where it stops though.
The thermal transfer bar has a limited life (we replaced them on average of three times a year @ a cost of $500 per replacement).
The customers were tickled pink since we had covered them under a yearly maintenance contract for $295.

Make sure you check on repairs and how they are handled.
Our costs were excessive because the only Zebra repair center was located in upper Mich. and we were charged actual travel time plus mileage to and back from the repair site.
The customers couldn't be without the printers for the length of time it would have taken to ship them.
When those printers were down, their shipments came to a stop.

Were you dealing with a direct or thermal transfer system? I've run direct systems trouble free for many years at a time. I don't know anything about thermal transfer systems.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Thermal.
Matter of fact, if you check the Zebra website they exclude the transfer bar (thermal print head) from the warranty!
It's considered a consumable - even if it only lasts a few weeks.

[Tony Joyce]

I have a stamps.com account and pay no monthly fee.

Tony

[John Coloccia]

The thermal head for the small Zebras like I'm considering aren't too bad. $100, and they last a LONG time with regular cleaning. That said, I think I'll start with the Avery labels, and see where I end up. If I print through Paypal, I can turn off the reciept. I believe if I download the USPS software, I can also turn off the receipt, so I need to look into that. I'll see how that goes. When I'm through one box of labels, I'll consider if I want to just get a dedicated printer like the Zebra.

Thanks everyone for the input.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

"On demand" label printers is a Black Hole and has been for years.

There always seems to be a market, but there must not be much real business.

Avery offered a couple of printers for a few years and quit.

Zebra are one of the older companies in the game, but as you've read, there are issues.

Not to mention software to drive it. I've written label programs for Zebras and it's nasty.

One of the best solutions was a narrow carriage matrix printer with the tractor feeds below

the print head, but I don't know if anybody makes on any more.