Top tips for printing your postage labels: troubleshooting and best practice

Getting label printing right

When you choose the label printing option that’s right for your business, you can save time and money, as well as increasing accuracy so your parcels are always delivered to the right place quickly.

From choosing the right printer and label stationery for both domestic and international sending, to troubleshooting and time saving tips, we’ve got you covered.

Here are some tips to make printing your postage labels quick, easy and accurate so those final steps of your selling process run smoothly.

Understanding print label size settings

The label size you print depends on both the printer you have, the stationery you’re using and whether you’re sending domestic or international. There are three size options for packages being sent within Australia:

• A4 (four labels per page) – if the label stationery you’re using allows four labels to be printed on each A4 page.
• A4 (one label per page) – this size is best when you’re using plain A4 paper or an A4-sized label.
• A6 – for those businesses using a thermal or Dymo printer.

You can change the size of your postage labels in your MyPost Business account. Simply click on the Carriers tab, select MyPost Business and then Print Settings and choose from the above three options.

Printing international labels

When you’re printing labels for international sending, there are a couple of differences to the domestic sending process.

There are two label sizes you can use for international shipping labels:

• A6 – this can be printed on either an A6 or an A4 label.
• A5 – this needs to be printed on an A4-sized label.

You’ll need to adjust the label size settings to the above in MyPost Business before printing your international labels. This will make sure your labels look professional and meet all the international sending requirements.

Follow the steps in MyPost Business to print an international label. By doing this, you’ll meet all the customs requirements of sending internationally.

Printing Express Post labels

When you print Express Post labels, make sure you’ve selected Express Post as your shipping method in MyPost Business, and change the label size to match your label stationery.

When you’re printing labels for Express Post, you can use labels that have the yellow Express Post symbol pre-printed on them. This makes it easier for delivery staff to identify each package as an Express Post item. These labels can be used with your thermal or Dymo printer, set to A6 size.

If you’re using a standard Laser Jet or Inkjet printer to print on an A4 label, you can instead use an Express Post sticker to make it identifiable as a priority.

Printing labels with a Dymo or thermal printer

Perhaps the most popular way to print postage labels – and the way you probably see on most parcels you receive – a thermal printer is an ink-free option for printing your postage labels.

A thermal printer is best for when you need your labels printed at a high speed, increasing the efficiency of your labelling process. For this reason, Dymo or thermal printers are often used by medium to large eCommerce businesses, or established small businesses.

Thermal printers are more expensive than a laser or inkjet printer, but, being an ink-free printer, they can help you save time and money on buying and replacing ink cartridges.

In your MyPost Business print settings, select A6 size to print labels on your thermal printer. Make sure your settings are pointing to the correct printer.

Printing labels with a laser or inkjet printer

Small or new eCommerce businesses often use a standard A4 laser or inkjet printer, simply because they’re an affordable option that you may already have in your home or workplace. Many businesses choose to upgrade to a thermal printer when they’re more established, to help increase speed and lower ongoing costs.

These printers can be used with MyPost Business so your label printing and payments for shipping are all done in one place – just make sure your account is set to the correct printer.

You can purchase A4-sized label stationery to suit either one or four labels per page, both of which are suited to these types of printers.

Printing labels by integrating with one of our eCommerce partners

To make printing postage labels even quicker, integrate your MyPost Business account with one of our eCommerce partners. This means your labels can be created directly from the software you use to your MyPost Business account, and printed from there.

It’s easy to set up an integration yourself and it will enable you to create postage labels, print them and pay for postage all in one place.

How to run a label printing session with your team

It’s important that the rest of your team knows how to print labels and how to resolve any issues that might arise.

Show them this article and run a training session to instruct them using a sample or actual print run.

In that session, give them an idea of what can occasionally go wrong in this process and let them know the steps they can take if that happens. It’s a good idea to leave written instructions near your label printer, too.

What to do when printing labels doesn’t go as planned

Sometimes processes don’t go as expected. Maybe your printer is playing up or labels aren’t printing in line with your label stationery. Here are some tips on what to do:

• When you’re setting up a new printer, always print a sample before doing a full print run. You can do this in MyPost Business, by selecting ‘Generate a sample label’ under Settings and then Labels.
• If your label margins aren’t lining up, you can change the label position in MyPost Business. Instructions in your account will help you to find the right way to adjust top, bottom, left or right margins so they line up with your label stationery.
• If your labels aren’t printing to the correct size for your stationery, your MyPost Business settings might need a small adjustment. Check you’ve set the right printer and paper size and make sure you’re printing at 100% or actual size.
• If your thermal printer isn’t working well, the most common solution is a thorough clean. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s suggestions for keeping the printer clean and well maintained.

With MyPost Business, you can use the Business Support Portal to find help for any issues you’re facing. You can watch video tutorials, use the live chat function or send an enquiry to our team.

With the combination of MyPost Business and the right postage label printing process in place, you’ll have more time to spend doing what you love: running your business.