Are you still writing shipping labels by hand? Or fighting with the office printer as you create them yourself? Let us save you from the hassle and time associated with creating and printing shipping labels on your own!
Shipping labels often get overlooked. Just a sticker with an address right? Wrong! While these seemingly “basic stickers” are the last step of the process before sending products out to customers and retailers, they are actually extremely important and valuable to your business! Shipping labels are a crucial piece of the supply chain and in making sure your products get where they need to go.
In this blog, we take a look at why Custom Shipping Labels are a valuable solution that can benefit your business tremendously! Aside from providing key transportation information and tracking inventory, they also provide an opportunity to showcase your brand and further customize the buyer experience. Let’s begin…
Understanding the Purpose and Components of a Shipping Label
These functional labels display the necessary information for a carrier (such as UPS, USPS, FedEx, or DHL) to transport packages from their start destination (warehouse or factory) to its end destination (retailers, wholesalers, or directly to customers). Examples of key information on a shipping label (or packaging label) include: postal code, country, tracking number, date, package quantity as well as the weight, address, validation, and ship street, city and state. Shipping labels may also specify the contents in the case of international shipments.
Every shipment needs it’s own label and labels can not be reused. These labels are very unique, also displaying identifiers such as barcodes or QR codes for inventory management and tracking the shipment every step of the way. It’s vital for all text and codes to be printed very clearly so that humans and robots alike have no issue with reading the label. The dangers of printing low quality, blurry or using damaged labels can result in a shipment arriving at an incorrect destination, being damaged, or getting lost entirely! All of these possibilities may lead to financial loss, angry customers, or damage to your company reputation; thus it’s worth it to make sure your custom shipping labels are high quality!
SendCloud shares a great example of the anatomy of a shipping label:
1: The name and address of the sender
2: The name and address of the recipient
3: A MaxiCode – a code that can be read in any direction by a machine
4: The Routing Code – informs how to route the package within the sorting section
5: The Postal Barcode – the zip code of the destination
6: Tracking Number – the number given to the customer to track their package
7: Level of Service – the chosen method provided by the carrier (e.g. Express, Standard, etc.)
Most of the information is automatically generated by the carrier. The main information you will need is:
- The sender’s name and address
- The recipient’s name and address
- The service method
Key to note: the standard size of shipping labels is 4 x 6 inches (10 x 15cm). If this doesn’t fit your package, then other standards are 6 x 3 inches (15 x 7cm) and 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10cm).
Benefits of Designing Custom Shipping Labels
Shipping labels are not only necessary to get your products where they need to go, but they also provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your branding and improve the customer’s experience receiving the package. Most people assume all shipping labels need to be white rectangles, but that’s not true! There is plenty of room to design and customize mailing labels that still align with the criteria of the mail carrier. Establish your company’s brand with high quality, professionally designed custom shipping and mailing labels. Include these in every package and consider adding a personalized correspondence for your customers.
This is where shipping labels can be fun! Carefully select colors and fonts that align with your brand, helping make the package easily recognizable. For example, your business may choose from several standard shapes (rectangle, square) or select a custom shape for your label (star, hexagon, rounded corners). Materials and finish also matter! Common options include white, clear, silver, or a solid color that matches your branding. Need a transparent background? We can do that too! We recommend choosing waterproof and oil-resistant materials to protect the integrity of your labels from harsh elements, temperatures, or dirty hands. Laminates will add a nice shine, or elegant mattes will ensure easy reading!
Other options for shipping labels may include designing functional labels indicating important notes and requirements, such as fragile, perishable, flammable, refrigerate immediately, or “this side up”, to ensure that the package is handled properly by the carrier and opened safely by the receiver. The goal is to provide a safe, successful experience from start to finish for all parties involved. Pro tip: make sure labels are appropriately placed on top of the package where they are visible, easy to read, and scan.
Clearly, designing custom shipping labels provide many benefits aside from simply transportation and inventory tracking. By including your company logo, brand colors, choosing quality materials & finishes to withstand any condition, and adding special stickers, your business can rest assured that your shipping labels represent your company in the best way possible and that items will be handled with care!
At M&R Label, we print more than just prime, multi-color product labels. We understand that businesses need labels to serve a variety of needs – including shipping! Not all labels are required to catch the eye of consumers and grab attention on a crowded store shelf. Our customers often require a functional label for shipping purposes to make sure your product gets where it needs to go! We also print case labels that clearly identify the contents of your package. Need a hazard chemical or fragile label? We can print those too!
Let Us Print Your Custom Shipping Labels for Every Product
We’re here to make sure your packages match the reputation of your brand…and ship successfully with high quality custom printed shipping labels. Whether you are a new business just starting to ship products or you’re an established company that has had some shipping issues related to labeling, the M&R Label team is here to guide the way! We have over 30 years of label printing experience and know all the ins and outs of shipping label design and requirements. Our team is well versed in the anatomy of shipping label elements and we know the preferences of each carrier.
Between barcodes, QR codes, and regular text, M&R Label promises that your packaging labels will be crisp, clear, and easy to read for humans AND robots! We can print any unique font, vibrant color, or image you need – on any type of material and shape. This means if you choose, we can add your company logo, brand colors, and font to the mailing labels…and play with the shape! If you prefer standard, white rectangular shipping labels, we are more than happy to create those as well!
Our custom shipping labels have proven time and time again to be a STRONG stick, adhering to any type of package you need. We’ll choose sturdy materials and smart finishes to protect your labels from any kind of element or conditions to ensure products get where they need to go – no matter what happens during the transportation journey!
The M&R Label experts are ready to fulfill any shipping or packaging label need you might have! We’re proud to create and print label & packaging solutions for a variety of clients across every industry. As your chosen custom label printer in Chicago, we guarantee quick turnaround, high quality materials, and creative label design.
