Label Print Settings

Updated June 03, 2025 16:57

ShipStation allows you to determine how your labels print on both an account-wide and individual basis by setting label Document Options. Learn how to set up your printers for Windows and macOS for label printing.

Account-wide settings include label layout, label messages, print sequence, and cutoff time.

The Ship From Location and Return Address is account specific.

Label Document Options

The Document Options screen allows you to set the following options:

Option	Details
Shipping Label Format	The printer you use for labels will determine your Label Format. Details provided in the Configure Label Layout section.
Label DPI	Label DPI is the resolution at which your labels are printed. You can choose 203dpi and 300dpi. 300dpi is the most common, but if you are unsure or your labels are printing out too large or too small, check your printer documentation to see which DPI to use for your model printer. Also, make sure to set the same DPI in your printer preferences.
Order Labels By	Determines the sequence your labels and packing slips print when printing multiple shipments simultaneously (what we call Batch Shipping). Options include: None (as selected). This behavior differs depending on if you print from a normal batch or an ad hoc batch. An ad hoc batch* occurs when you select and create multiple labels outside of a normal batch.* Normal batch: Labels and packing slips print in the sequence you added the records to the batch, not the sequence they appear in the batch's grid. Printing will ignore any grid sorting you have done. Ad hoc batch: Labels and packing slips print in the sequence they appear in the grid, from top to bottom. Printing will respect any grid sorting you have done. Order Date: Most recent first / last Paid Date: Most recent first / last Buyer Name: a to z or z to a Order Number: Lowest first or highest first Item SKU: a to z or z to a Item Name: a to z or z to a Warehouse Location: a to z or z to a
Label Branding	This setting is only supported for certain carriers in the US or CA. Allows you to print your store logo on your labels. This setting uses the logo uploaded in the Branding tab of your Store Settings. For the carriers that support this feature, the logo will print approximately a 1 in x 1 in image in a predetermined spot on the label. The carrier sets size and location requirements for the logo and cannot be modified.
Label Messages	Define up to three messages to print on shipping labels, including dynamic information about each order (like the order number or customer notes). Label messages are limited to 26 characters each. Not all carriers support all three label messages and some do not support any at all. Please visit our Integrations Help guide to find out about label message support for specific carriers.
Shipping Cutoff	Sets the time of day after which the ship date advances to the next day for labels created after that time. This option is useful when you know what time of day your carrier picks up your packages and you want to continue to create labels for shipments that will be picked up the following day. This sets accurate expectations for your customers when tracking their shipments. Note If ShipStation is not respecting your set cutoff time according to your account's time zone setting, please contact ShipStation support to open a support ticket.

Configure Label Layout

ShipStation creates 4" x 6" labels (approximately 100mm x 150mm) suitable for thermal label printers. If you use an inkjet or laser printer to print multiple labels on a standard A4-size sheet (approximately 8.5" x 11", or "letter" sized), ShipStation adjusts the label orientation by 90 degrees to print two 4" x 6" labels horizontally on a sheet of A4 paper.

Before you create labels, make sure ShipStation knows which layout to use. The printer you use to print labels determines which layout you should select and whether you want to print the label's corresponding packing slip simultaneously. If you have configured your label layout and the labels are printing incorrectly, review the Print Troubleshooting Overview for a list of articles that may help.

Select your shipping label format and whether you want the packing slip to always print with the label.

Only choose to print packing slips with labels if they will print from the same printer.

Format Options:
- Choose one of the 4" x 6" options if you use a thermal label printer, like a DYMO or Zebra.
- Choose one of the 8.5" x 11" options if you use an inkjet or laser printer.
If you use FedEx eCom labels, contact ShipStation Support to enable this as a format you can choose in your Label Document Options.
Click Save Changes.

Label Formats with Packing Slips

If you select a label layout that includes a packing slip, your label and packing slip will always print together when printing a label. You can still print packing slips separately, but the label's format setting sets the packing slip format. You will not be able to set a unique packing slip format for printing individual packing slips.

Configure Label Messages

Use the Label Messages in Document Options to print additional information on your shipping labels. You can add up to three messages with a maximum of 26 characters if your selected carrier and service supports them.

You can type a custom message into the fields or use ShipStation Field Replacements to print order-specific information (like order numbers or customer notes) on the labels.

The steps to add these messages vary depending on if you want to use one field replacement per message line or multiple field replacements. Each process is outlined in it's own section below.

Enable One Field Replacement per Message

To set your label messages, do the following in the Document Options screen:

Scroll to the Label Messages section.
Type in your message or select a field replacement from the drop-down.
Click Save Settings.

Enable Multiple Field Replacements per Message

To set your label messages and include multiple fields per line, do the following in the Document Options screen:

Scroll to the Label Messages section.
Choose the Please Select option in the drop down menu.
Type in the field replacements exactly as they appear in the Label Message Field Replacements list below, including the square brackets. You may include separators, like commas, if desired.
Click Save Settings.

Label Message Field Replacements

You can add the following order data to the Label Messages fields by selecting the field replacement from the Label Message field drop-down menu or typing it in the Message field exactly as it appears below:

[Order #]
[Store Company Name]
[Ship Date]
[Order Date]
[SKU #1], [SKU #2], [SKU #3]
[Product #1], [Product #2], [Product #3]
[Dimensions]
[Weight]
[Notes from Buyer] (this field corresponds to Customer Notes)
[Custom Field #1], [Custom Field #2], [Custom Field #3]
[Fill SKU #1], [Fill SKU #2], [Fill SKU #3]
[Warehouse Location #1], [Warehouse Location #2], [Warehouse Location #3]
[Buyer Name]

The following field replacements are not available from the drop-down menu, but you can still use them by typing them into the Label Message fields:

[Store Name]
[Carrier Name]
[Internal Notes]
[Recipient Name]
[Recipient Phone]

Notes About Label Messages

Label messages are account-wide, which means ShipStation will print label messages on all labels that support them.
Label messages cannot be customized per store or per carrier.
Not all carriers or services support printing label messages. When available, label messages will print on the label in the location determined by each carrier, which can vary between carriers and services.
Some carriers also support adding label messages to customs forms (CN22 and CN23) or commercial invoices.

Visit the carrier articles in the Integrations Help guide for details on how each carrier prints label messages.

Carriers That Support Label Messages

The carrier you use may have restrictions on what you can include on the shipping label.

Refer to the tables below to see if your carrier supports adding Label Messages or a Store Logo on their labels.

🇺🇸 US Carriers

Carrier	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Logo
Access WorldWide	No	No	No	No
Amazon Buy Shipping	No	No	No	No
APC	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Asendia	No	No	No	No
DHL eCommerce (international)	No	No	No	No
DHL Express	Limited*	No	No	Yes
DHL Express from ShipStation	No	No	No	No
Endicia	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Express 1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FedEx	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FedEx International MailService	No	No	No	No
FirstMile	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Globegistics	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
IMEX	Yes	No	No	No
Landmark Global	No	No	No	No
Lone Star Overnight (LSO)	No	No	No	Yes
Newgistics	Yes	No	No	Yes
OnTrac	Yes	Yes	No	No
ePost Global	No	No	No	No
SEKO	No	No	No	No
Stamps	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
USPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
UPS	Yes**	Yes	Yes	Yes
UPS Ground Saver	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

*Combines all message locations into a single line with a maximum of 35 characters.

🇨🇦 Canada Carriers

Carrier	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Logo
Canada Post	Yes	Yes	No	No
DHL Express	Limited*	No	No	No
FedEx Canada	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Purolator Canada	No	No	No	No
UPS	Yes**	Yes**	Yes**	Yes

🇬🇧UK Carriers

Carrier	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Logo
DHL Express	Limited*	No	No	No
DPD (Corporate)	No	No	No	No
DPD from ShipStation	No	No	No	No
FedEx	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
EVRi (Corporate)	No	No	No	No
EVRi from ShipStation	No	No	No	No
Parcelforce Worldwide (Corporate)	No	No	No	No
Parcelforce from ShipStation	No	No	No	No
Royal Mail	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
SEKO	No	No	No	No
UPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

* Only supported with direct integrations, not when using ShipStation Carriers. Combines all message locations into a single line with a maximum of 35 characters.