Overview
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.
There are two ways of printing shipping labels:
- Ship and Print Labels – Requests a label straight away.
- Scan and Ship – First will scan the products and then request a label.
This article here covers the Scan and Ship workflow into details.
Prerequisite
Note: By default, you can calculate rates for one order at a time from the Shipbridge grid. Learn more about how to set up your preferred shipping carrier and service here.
Ship and print labels
Once you have selected the carrier and service for your orders, you can use the checkbox at the left hand corner and select the orders you want to generate labels for.
The last step is to click on “Ship and print labels” at the top of the grid and the shipping labels for all the selected orders will be printed out.
Reprint 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 them 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.
- Right-click on an order > Click Reprint Label(s).
- Go to Menu > Postage Log > Search the log > Right click on an order > Select Reprint Label(s).
Batch Labels Reprint
If you have several labels to be reprinted, you can reprint them in a batch from either the Fully Shipped tab or the Postage Log.
To reprint labels in batch:
The Postage Log can also be used to reprint labels in batches as described above.
For more information about Shipbridge Postage Log read here.
View 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.
- Go to Help > Output File Locations > Select the carrier.
- 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 the 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.
Ship 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:
- Go to Menu > Options > Carriers tab > Check Use APO/FPO printer configuration for US territory destinations.
- Check the USPS APO/FPO service under the label printer configuration for USPS – Endicia or ExpressOne – and configure it with a PDF printer.
- Click Save.