- Product: shipping label stock for an approved layout
- Imaging: selected direct-thermal or thermal-transfer system
- Purpose: parcel, carton, pallet or agreed routing identification
- Face, coating, adhesive and any ribbon: confirmed construction
- Size, core, diameter, sensing, winding and roll or fanfold supply: machine-matched
- Multi-panel design, reading period and package exposure: separate project requirements
Typical converting options
- Face weight: 70–80 gsm thermal paper, typical range
Shipping labels are specified from the carrier layout, printer and real package. Address text, tracking codes and handling information must remain readable through the route; a material name or standard size alone is insufficient.
Choose direct thermal or thermal transfer against the required reading period and exposure. Confirm the roll or continuous fanfold format separately from the imaging method and from any multi-panel document design.
Applications and Evaluation
- Parcel despatch: carrier-approved address and tracking layouts.
- Pallets and cartons: agreed case marks and barcode requirements.
- Export movements: route, storage and documentation conditions recorded.
- Warehouse staging: picking and despatch information read at the required points.
- Returns: confirmed routing data and any separate document or panel requirement.
Compare the related material and printing routes below.
Key Features
Start with the actual layout
Send the carrier or customer template, code content, orientation and printable area. Confirm scanning requirements and data accuracy; die-cut size alone does not approve the label.
Match the media path
Record printer model, width, core, outer diameter, gap or black mark, winding and feed arrangement. Continuous fanfold supply describes feeding, not a second information panel or a folding hang tag.
Choose and trial the imaging system
Compare the proposed coating or face-and-ribbon combination at the actual settings. Required readability, light, rubbing, moisture and storage decide the trial, not a blanket rule that one route always lasts longer.
Apply to the real package
Identify board, recycled content, coating, dust, condensation and application temperature. Test the proposed adhesive and code after handling; high tack alone does not qualify damp or cold surfaces.
Technical Specifications
The Specification section lists the agreed supply options. Confirm the following before approving a grade.
- Layout and code content are matched to the actual carrier or customer requirement.
- Media dimensions, sensing and delivery format follow the printer and applicator.
- Image and adhesion are accepted after the relevant package handling and storage exposure.
Custom requirements are assessed against the proposed construction and a reference sample.
How to Select and Order
Fix the construction before a sample is made. Each part below says what it decides, the options available, and what we need from you.
1. Face stock — direct thermal or thermal transfer, decided by the route
Direct thermal stock where the label is printed at the packing station and read within weeks · thermal transfer where the print must survive handling, moisture or months in a warehouse.
What we need from you: Where the label is printed, and how long the code has to scan. A shipping label that leaves the building the same day rarely needs thermal transfer.
2. Adhesive
Permanent, high-tack acrylic for corrugated and recycled board.
What we need from you: The carton surface — new corrugated, recycled board, poly mailer or pallet wrap. Recycled board is dusty and that is what fails the adhesive.
3. Liner and supply format
Glassine liner · roll or fanfold, with gap or black-mark sensing agreed to the printer.
What we need from you: Your printer model and its sensing method. Core, maximum roll diameter, winding and feed path are device constraints.
4. Service conditions
A shipping label is read by machines that are not yours — a carrier's scanner, a customer's receiving desk. If it fails there, it fails late and expensively.
What we need from you: Dust and moisture at application · handling · whether the label goes through a carrier's sortation · how long the code is read after dispatch.
5. Printing and template
Direct thermal at the station, or thermal transfer where durability is required.
What we need from you: The template — width, feed length, printable area, orientation — plus code content and any carrier or customer acceptance requirement. A new printer, ribbon or sensing method is a different specification, not an adjustment.
Before the order runs
Before requesting a shipping-label sample, confirm these four groups:
- Template: label width and feed length, printable area, code content, orientation and any carrier or customer acceptance requirement.
- Equipment and media: exact printer model, print method, gap or black-mark sensing, core, maximum roll diameter, winding and feed path; for fanfold, provide the stack and perforation drawing. Add ribbon details for thermal transfer.
- Package and route: actual carton or packaging surface, dust or moisture at application, storage and handling, and the final point where the code must be read.
- Acceptance: trial feeding and separation on the intended machine, apply printed labels to real packages, and record scans before and after the agreed handling sequence. Confirm any required barcode grade separately.
Continuous fanfold feeding, folded hang tags and multi-part documents are separate requests. Confirm the actual construction and availability; a common label size does not establish compatibility.
Send the artwork, surface, equipment and quantity to request samples and confirm the construction.
Related: Triple-Proof Thermal Labels · White Thermal Labels · Eco Labels · Folded thermal format: confirm the construction · Thermal-transfer label family · Label printing methods
FAQ
Does one common size fit all shipping printers?
No. Confirm the template, printable width, sensing, core or fanfold feed and machine limits.
How should I choose direct thermal or thermal transfer?
Compare complete media systems against the actual reading period and exposure. For thermal transfer, include the ribbon and print settings in the trial.
Does continuous fanfold stock mean a folded two-panel label?
No. Fanfold describes the supply stack and feeding. A multi-panel label or document is a separate layout and construction to confirm.
Will a high-tack grade hold on damp recycled cartons?
That needs a real-package trial under the application and service conditions. Do not infer suitability from the adhesive name alone.