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Print a 4x6 shipping label PDF on a Zebra printer

Guide · Updated

Steps

  1. Download the label from the carrier or the marketplace as a PDF. If it offers a 4 x 6 in label format, choose it.
  2. Load 4 x 6 in labels, and calibrate the printer if the roll is new.
  3. Open the PDF in an app that prints PDFs to the Zebra printer as ZPL.
  4. Choose the scaling: actual size for a PDF that is already 4 x 6 in. For a letter or A4 page, download the carrier’s 4 x 6 in format instead if it offers one.
  5. If the PDF holds more than one label, check that each label sits on its own page.
  6. Print one label and check that the barcode is sharp and nothing is cut off at the edges.

Why scaling matters

Many carriers produce a full letter or A4 page with the label in one corner. Printed at actual size on a 4 x 6 in label, that page loses much of the label. Fit to the label shrinks the whole page, so the label prints at about half size and its barcode may not scan. A label already at 4 x 6 in should print at actual size so the barcode keeps its exact width.

Practise with a sample file

To check scaling, print the sample PDF. Its pages are wider than a 4 x 6 in label, so fit to the label is the scaling to choose.