Printing resources

Print a parcel label: choose the correct document and workflow

A prepaid label PDF, a drop-off QR code and an invoice serve different purposes. Before changing printer settings, identify what you received and what actually belongs on the parcel.

1. Start with the order, not a screenshot

Open the relevant order on the service where you bought postage. Check the recipient, service, declared weight and shipment reference. Label2A4 does not sell postage or correct information held by the carrier. A perfectly aligned printout can still belong to the wrong parcel.

Download the original PDF. Avoid phone screenshots: they can include interface elements, reduce resolution or clip an edge. Keep the source PDF separate from the final A4 sheet so that you can return to the original.

2. Distinguish the label, a drop-off code and supporting paperwork

A code described as a way to have the label printed at a drop-off point is not necessarily the label to attach. Read the instructions attached to your purchase; the workflow depends on the service. Do not try to manufacture a shipping label from a QR code alone.

An invoice, receipt or customs document remains a separate document. Three PDF pages do not automatically mean three parcels. Count the useful labels in the preview instead of relying on the source page count.

3. Prepare the sheet, then print one PDF page per physical sheet

Import the files into Label2A4. Check the recipient, tracking reference, codes and useful small print for each selected area. Remove an accidentally selected supporting page before export. Automatic detection proposes a region; it does not validate postage.

The output is already an A4 sheet. Choose one PDF page per physical sheet: selecting four pages per sheet in the reader would shrink the composed sheets again. Use the printing guide and its calibration file for detailed settings and a measurable scale check.

4. Match printouts to parcels without losing their order

Practice example: prepare parcels A, B, C, D and E. The teaching reference shows four elements on the first page and E on the second. Compare this order with your list before printing, then match each cut label to its corresponding parcel. The practice file is not valid postage.

The same recipient name can appear on different orders. Use an order reference or tracking number and keep supporting documents separate. Follow the carrier instructions for attaching the label before drop-off; exporting the PDF does not prove that the parcel entered the network.

Which document should you process?
DocumentActionAvoid
Label PDFImport and check the useful areaCounting an attachment as another parcel
Drop-off QR codeFollow the issuing service’s workflowAttaching it as a label without instructions
Invoice or customs formKeep it and follow carrier instructionsAutomatically shrinking it like a parcel label

Practice, then check

Teaching PDFs are fictitious, contain no customer data and are not valid postage. They do not replace a physical print or carrier check.

Teaching reference: 5 elements on 2 pages

Set up the printer and measure the scale

Page composition does not buy postage, change an order or guarantee parcel acceptance.

Sources and method

Workflow instructions describe Label2A4; numerical examples are calculations, not carrier acceptance tests.

Adobe Acrobat: PDF page size and printingLabel2A4 method and limitations
Prepare my label PDFs