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Windows · Labels

How to print 4×6 shipping labels from Windows

Most carriers expect a 4×6 inch (102×152 mm) thermal label. You do not need a cloud labelling service to print one from a Windows PC. Here is a reliable way to design it once and print it locally.

Use the size the carrier expects

A standard shipping label in the US and for many international carriers is 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall, which is 101.6 × 152.4 mm. If the size in your design does not match the stock in the printer, the barcode drifts, text clips, or the printer skips a label.

Before you design anything, check the roll: width, height, and whether it is gap, black-mark or continuous stock. Set the same dimensions in the software, and set the printer DPI to match the printhead (often 203 or 300 DPI).

What a shipping label has to show

  • From and to addresses, large enough to read at arm’s length.
  • A tracking barcode, usually Code 128, with the human-readable number underneath.
  • Service and weight if the carrier requires them.
  • Quiet space around the barcode: do not crowd it with boxes or logos.

Print a test label and scan it with a phone or a handheld scanner before you run a batch. A design that looks right on screen can still fail if the barcode is too small or too close to the edge.

Design it in Label Studio

Label Studio is a Windows desktop app for barcodes and thermal labels. It runs offline and does not need an account.

  1. Create a label and set the size to 101.6 × 152.4 mm (or 4 × 6 inches) and the printer DPI.
  2. Add text fields for the ship-from and ship-to blocks. Keep a clear hierarchy: name, then street, then city and postcode.
  3. Add a Code 128 barcode for the tracking number. Leave a few millimetres of empty space around it.
  4. Add a QR code if you also want a packing or order URL. Keep it away from the tracking barcode.
  5. Print one test copy. If you use a Zebra-class printer on the network, send ZPL II directly. If you use Rollo, MUNBYN, Brother, Dymo or another Windows printer, use the Windows driver.

Save the template as a .label file so anyone on the packing bench can open the same design.

Windows driver or ZPL?

A Windows driver is the simplest path: the printer appears in the usual print dialog. Direct ZPL II is faster and sharper on Zebra-compatible thermal printers, because the printer draws the barcode itself instead of printing a raster image. If labels look slightly fuzzy or take too long, try ZPL on a network printer (often port 9100). See ZPL versus a Windows printer driver.

Printing many labels

If each parcel has a different address or tracking number, do not retype them. Import a CSV and bind columns to the text and barcode fields. How to print barcodes from a CSV file on Windows walks through that.

Get Label Studio on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and 11. There is no per-printer fee.

Label Studio for Windows

Design barcodes and thermal labels with millimetre accuracy. Offline, no account.

Get it on Microsoft Store · About the app