With the growth of e-commerce, shipping labels on letters or packages that you send to customers are an essential part of the delivery process. As a business owner, these labels provide important information to you and also the customer. The easiest method of creating labels to use for your business is by using a shipping label template.
Shipping Label Templates
What is a shipping label?
A shipping label template contains the contact details of the receiver of either a product or a letter. Before sending anything out, make sure that the label contains accurate information. That way, the letter or item you send doesn’t get lost. Using a template can save your business effort and time and make the process better as the old-fashioned way are not usually liked by people.
Why do you need this template?
A shipping or package label template is important because it contains information about the product you’re shipping out and this information is essential all throughout the supply chain. With this, the movement of your item all the way to your customer’s doorstep improves.
The label contains the required information to help both machines and men to understand the origin of the customer’s item and its destination. Simple as it is, the design of this label and its purpose are highly efficient. But you should also choose the right template for your business – and this depends upon your requirements.
You can either download a shipping return label template then customize them or make your own from scratch. Create labels for all kinds of shipping needs to make it easier to conduct your business. Since shipping is one of the most common business functions in many organizations, this template is essential.
Package Label Templates
The different sizes used
Simply put, a shipping label template is a document consisting of a label layout. From this definition, you can start designing your template easily. If you have the skills, you can create your own template. Otherwise, you can download a template, customize it for your business, and use it.
Before that, you must know the size you need first. Shipping and package label templates come in the following sizes:
- Letter Size
This is the most common standard size used in the USA. The dimensions are 8.5″ x 11″. These sheets contain several labels with varying sizes. You can add several labels as long as they fit into the paper size. The letter size is commonly used in schools, businesses, and churches, among others. - Legal Size
Although less popular than the letter size, this is also considered a standard size in the country. The dimensions are 8.5″ x 14″. Most printers used for letter-size labels can also print on legal size sheets. Use this when you need to add labels at the bottom part of a letter-sized sheet. - Tabloid Size
Here’s another standard size in the US although it’s not used as frequently. The dimensions are 11″ x 17″. Unfortunately, you cannot print this size if you only have a small office printer. - A4 Size
This is an international standard size for shipping labels. It has almost the same dimensions as the letter-sized label. Use this when shipping items to other countries. - A3 Size
Like the A4, this is another international standard size with dimensions of 420mm x 294mm. It consists of two A4s sheets placed side by side.
You can find different sizes of templates online. As long as you know what you need for your business, you can find the right-sized template and download it.
How do I get a label template in Word?
If you know how to use Microsoft Word, you can design your own shipping and return label templates quickly and easily. First, you need to get the free shipping label template in Word. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click the Mailings tab.
- Click on Labels.
- Choose Options.
- Click New Label.
That’s it! Then all you have to do is input the name and measurements of your new template. You can get this information from label manufacturers.
return label templates
How do I create a shipping label?
As a general rule, you would use a shipping label template to create labels during the ordering process. Carriers have their own specific requirements for shipping labels. It is, therefore, not recommended for you to fill out a label or create your own template by hand.
Before you make a shipping label for your business, you must first know the carrier’s requirements so that you can comply. For this you can either:
- Visit the post office in your locale and ask for a sample of their labels for shipping.
- Make the label yourself using your computer.
Buying labels from the post office means that you’re buying postage at a retail rate. Just remember that this is the costliest tier of pricing when it comes to shipping labels. If you own a business and you ship items out regularly, making your own labels is the more economical way.
This offers more benefits including postage discounts and scheduling pickups of packages rather than waiting at the post office. Furthermore, that are also ways to automate the process, which leads to minimizing manual input as much as possible. You can learn how to make your own shipping labels through the following methods:
- Use online tools to create your template
This is very convenient as each carrier has their own online tool where you create the labels that fit their specific specifications. Visit their website, input the required information, and forward the file to the printer.
But there is a downside to this. This is not the quickest method because, for each carrier, you have to visit the website and input the information manually. - Use a software to make your template
This method allows you to download a carrier’s template for shipping labels. After the download, you can access the template on your computer and input the required information. You also have the option to customize the process with the possibility of automation, as well as, the option to work offline. - Use a shipping tool
With this, you can automatically gather order information from several platforms and carriers so that you can fill forms faster and more efficiently. If you acquire a good shipping tool, you can connect directly with carriers, acquire the order information you need for the label, and automatically generate the labels using the appropriate template.