Shipping and return address labels for parcels

A clear shipping label from the start

The tool above is set up with the “Shipping” template: the recipient's name and address in large type, the order number on a line and a Code 128 barcode to track the parcel. For envelopes and letters there is another template, “Return address”, made for your name and address over several lines.

What a shipping label should carry

• Recipient: full name (or company).
• Full address, with street, number, apartment, ZIP or postal code and city.
• A contact phone number: some carriers ask for it to notify about delivery.
• Sender: your name and address, in case the parcel has to come back.
• Order reference, useful to you and to the customer if anything needs checking.

Which format to choose

• Thermal roll, 4 × 6 in (100 × 150 mm): the format most shipping platforms generate for thermal printers, and the default for the shipping template in this English version. In step 3 there are rolls in several sizes (100 × 150, 100 × 100, A6, Brother, Dymo…) and the PDF comes out with one label per page.
• Sheet labels, 4 × 2 in (Avery 5163, 10 per Letter sheet): for small parcels and as a clear delivery label on a regular printer.
• Bigger parcels: Avery 5164 (4 × 3⅓ in, 6 per sheet) or 5168 (3½ × 5 in, 4 per sheet).
• Address labels, 2⅝ × 1 in (Avery 5160, 30 per Letter sheet) or 4 × 1 in (Avery 5161, 20 per sheet): for envelopes and as a return address label. For tiny return addresses, Avery 5167 has 80 per sheet.
• On A4 paper: 99.1 × 139 mm (Avery L7169, 4 per sheet) for parcels, and 63.5 × 38.1 mm (L7160, 21 per sheet) for addresses.

If your carrier or sales platform demands a specific format, check its instructions: some only accept the label they generate themselves.

For the return address on envelopes and small parcels

Choose the “Return address” template: your name in bold and the address underneath, over up to three lines that fit themselves. One sheet of 30 labels (Avery 5160) gives you return addresses for a whole batch of shipments. Save the design with “My designs” so you don't have to type it again.

Many shipments at once

If you have a list of orders in Excel, paste it in “Many labels” mode: one row per shipment, with the recipient and address in the name and the order number as the code. More in the guide to Excel and CSV.

Tips when sticking it on

• Stick it on the largest, flattest side of the parcel, not over seams or corners.
• If you cover it with clear tape, keep it smooth, with no wrinkles over the barcode.
• Write the address in black type on a white background: it is what people and scanners read best.

How to print them without misalignment

Download the PDF and print it with “Actual size” or “Scale 100%”, never “Fit to page”. Before wasting sheets, use the “Test sheet”. More in the guide to Avery templates.