Ways to print and reprint labels, use ShipStation Connect, format and other print settings, and set label layout.
As soon as you click Create + Print Label or choose the Print > Label option, ShipStation will open the print pop-up screen that allows you to select your print method.
This article discusses the methods available to print your labels, what options affect your label printing, and what else happens in ShipStation when you print a label.
ShipStation provides access to the print function in multiple locations to make printing labels (or any other documents) as convenient as possible.
You can tell ShipStation to print labels from the Orders tab, Order Details, Shipments tab, and Shipment Details screens.
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The Create + Print Label button.
This button is located above the Orders Grid and in the Shipping Sidebar when an order is selected from the grid.
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The Print menu's Label option. The Label option will only be available if a label is created for a shipment on the selected order.
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The Print menu is in the shipping sidebar, just above the Configure Shipment Widget.
ShipStation's print pop-up screen includes the ability to print or download:
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Print through ShipStation Connect: This option sends your label directly from ShipStation to the selected printer and requires ShipStation Connect to be installed and running on the printer workstation.
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Download: This option downloads the label PDF to your browser's download location. You can then open the PDF in your preferred PDF viewer and print it there.
Whichever of these two options you select, ShipStation's Smart Document Tracking will recognize the label as printed.
Additionally, you can print via your browser's print option directly from this pop-up.
Once you click the print icon, your browser will open the browser's print dialog box, giving you all the available options to print through your browser.
Print Tracking Not Supported With Browser Print
When using the browser print method, ShipStation will not update the Smart Document Tracking to indicate the label has been printed.
Whether you print one label at a time or multiple, the process to print or download is the same.
Requires ShipStation Connect
To use this method, ShipStation Connect must be installed and running on your printer workstation. If you have not done so, follow the instructions in the Install & Launch section of our ShipStation Connect article.
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Select the desired printer from the Print through ShipStation Connect drop-down menu.
If no printers are visible, make sure ShipStation Connect is installed and running on the printer workstation. If you are logged into your ShipStation account with a different user than the one used for ShipStation Connect, the printer must also be set to Shared in the ShipStation Connect settings.
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Click Print through ShipStation Connect.
This GIF demonstrates printing a label using ShipStation Connect from the Order Details screen:
Set Default Printers To Print Faster!
Set a default printer for each document type to skip the printer selection step.
To set a default printer for your labels: follow the instructions in the Set Default Printers section of the ShipStation Print Settings article.
To bypass a default printer for an individual document: click the arrow icon next to the printer name in the Print menu drop-down and ShipStation will open the Print pop-up so you can select a different printer from the Print To drop-down.
If you prefer to download the label and print through a PDF viewer:
To view the shipment record, go to the Shipments grid and click on the Shipped status in the left-hand sidebar.
All labels printed through ShipStation are 4" x 6" (approximately 101mm x 152mm). The way ShipStation formats your labels for printing depends on the Label Format selected in your account's Label Document Options.
Access your Document Options in Settings > Printing > Printing Setup to adjust label format and other print settings for labels.
The label format you choose should match the type of printer used to print your labels.
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Format Options |
Details |
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4" x 6" |
For printing labels through a thermal label printer. Select this option if printing with 100mm x 150mm or A5 labels. ShipStation will format the label to fit a 4" x 6" sheet. |
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4" x 6" (w/ Packing Slip) |
For printing labels with their packing slips through a thermal label printer. Select this option if printing with 100mm x 150mm or A5 labels. ShipStation will format the label and packing slip to fit a 4" x 6" sheet. |
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8.5" x 11" (2 per page) |
For printing labels through a standard desktop printer, like an inkjet or laser printer. Select this option if printing with A4 paper. ShipStation adjusts the label orientation by 90 degrees to accommodate up to 2 labels per page. |
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8.5" x 11" (w/ Packing Slip) |
For printing labels with their packing slips through a standard desktop printer. Select this option if printing with A4 paper. ShipStation adjusts the label orientation 90 degrees and the packing slip orientation to landscape. |
When you print or download a label in ShipStation, ShipStation will:
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Update the Smart Document Tracking to indicate the shipment's label was printed.
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Update the shipment status to Shipped.
Order Status Updates
ShipStation updates orders to Shipped only when all shipments associated with the order are in the Shipped status.
If an order contains other shipments that you have not yet created labels for or marked as shipped, the order will remain in Awaiting Shipment.
In ShipStation Legacy, after you click Create Label ShipStation will open the print pop-up screen to allow you to select your print method.
Printer Setup
Before you begin, make sure your printer is set up and ready to print labels. See our Printer Setup for guides on how to connect printers to ShipStation.
In ShipStation, you can print a label like you would any PDF - through your browser or by downloading and opening in a PDF viewer, like Adobe Acrobat or Preview.
However, there is a more efficient way to print your labels. Install ShipStation Connect so ShipStation can send your labels (and other documents) directly to your printer. Printing with ShipStation Connect requires additional setup. Review the ShipStation Connect article for instructions on how to install and use ShipStation Connect.
To start, create a single label on an order or create a batch.
In the print label pop-up, select either Download PDF or Preview in Browser.
Proceed to print using your preferred PDF viewer and printer.
To start, create a single label on an order or create a batch.
In the print label pop-up, click Print via ShipStation Connect.
Select the printer you wish to print from.
Set a Default Printer
To make this process faster, consider selecting a default printer or setting up QuickShip.
You may need to reprint a label if you have lost a label or there was a printer malfunction and you need to print it again. The reprinted label will have the same information as before.
ShipStation lets you reprint a label as often as you need. It will not count against your plan's shipment limit and there is no fee for reprinting.
A reprinted label is not the same as a new label. If you need to reship an order, you can do so by creating a new label (and thus a new, different tracking number). This is useful if a package was lost or stolen and you need to ship the order to your customer again.
This video demonstrates how to set your label layout in ShipStation for your label printer, whether you use a thermal label printer or a standard desktop printer. Closed captioning is available within the video interface.
ShipStation Legacy Layout
This content features ShipStation's legacy layout and may not exactly reflect your current ShipStation layout experience.