Printing Shipping Labels in ShipBridge

Understanding shipping labels

Shipping labels help identify and describe what’s inside a package. ShipBridge makes labeling easy because you can generate shipping labels and connect with all major carriers online. In ShipBridge, you can configure the label printer and the specific format of each label individually. Labels will differ depending on the carrier you use, but a shipping label will generally include information like:

• Ship to address
• Ship from address
• Package weight
• Shipping class
• Electronic tracking number
• Shipping barcode

All of this information helps get orders to customers as quickly as possible. You can view a sample shipping label here.

Reprinting labels in ShipBridge

Before you begin reprinting labels, it is important to check if you have the label file stored on your device. You can only reprint labels from the device you originally printed it from because communication files are stored locally. You can check if you have the files on your device by going to Help > Output File Locations.

Once you have confirmation that the files are stored on your device, you can begin reprinting labels. There are two ways you can reprint a label. You can either right click on an order or access the Postage Log. 

1. Right click on an order > Click Reprint Label(s).
2. Go to Menu > Postage Log > Search the log > Right click on an order > Select Reprint Label(s).

Viewing label API requests and responses

After you print a label, you have the option to view the actual XML document sent through API and the response from the carrier.

1. Go to Help > Output File Locations > Select the carrier.
2. A pop up window will appear with folders titled USPS Save and USPS-Out.
   • The USPS Save files inside are the label request files. The files are named according to order number, and each file contains all information related to the label that was requested for that order. 
   • The USPS-Out files are the responses from the carrier. These files contain success or error messages.

Shipping to APO/FPO

If you want to ship to a military address located outside of the continental U.S., you must use the United States Postal Service (USPS). Packages shipped must also include a special label and customs form.

Here are some important terms to be aware of:

• Army Post Office (APO)
• Fleet Post Office (FPO)

The Ship To Country will still be the U.S., however there will be some changes in state abbreviations. Here are some important abbreviations to know:

• Armed Forces Europe (AE)
• Armed Forces Americas (AA)
• Armed Forces Pacific (AP)

With ShipBridge, you can print out special APO/FPO labels with the accompanying customs form.

To configure APO/FPO labels:

1. Go to Menu > Options > Carriers tab > Check Use APO/FPO printer configuration for US territory destinations.
2. Check the USPS APO/FPO service under the label printer configuration for USPS – Endicia or ExpressOne – and configure it with a PDF printer.
3. Click Save.