The label is the only thing an automated sorting hub can read. Print it right, attach it right, and your parcel routes itself.
A parcel travelling across Europe is handled almost entirely by machines. Conveyor scanners read the barcode, decide which chute the parcel falls into, and pass it to the next hub. Nobody reads the address you wrote on the side in marker pen. If the barcode cannot be scanned, the parcel drops out of the automated flow and into manual handling — which means delay at best and a return to sender at worst.
That makes label printing one of the few steps where small technical details genuinely matter. Scaling the page down by 6% because your printer defaulted to 'fit to page' can render a barcode unreadable. So can printing on a low-toner setting, folding the label around a corner, or covering it with tape that creates glare.
The label is sent as a PDF immediately after payment. It is also available in your account order history if the email goes astray.
In the print dialogue, set scaling to 100% or 'Actual size'. Turn off 'Fit to page', 'Shrink oversized pages' and any auto-scaling. Scaling distorts barcode geometry and is the most common cause of scan failures.
Black and white is fine — colour is never required. Avoid draft or toner-saving modes, which produce barcodes with insufficient contrast. Do not print on coloured or glossy paper.
The bars must be crisp, solid black, with no streaking, banding or gaps. If your printer is low on toner, replace it — a faint barcode will fail at the first hub.
Pick the biggest, flattest face of the parcel. Never fold a label around a corner or an edge — a bent barcode cannot be read by a fixed scanner.
Secure every edge so it cannot lift or catch in machinery. Try to keep clear tape off the barcode itself, because tape creates glare that can defeat optical scanners.
If you reused a box, peel off previous labels completely or black out their barcodes. Scanners read whatever they see first and will happily route your parcel to its previous destination.
For non-EU shipments, the commercial invoice usually travels in a clear document wallet on the outside of the parcel. Follow the instructions supplied with your specific booking.
Not having a printer no longer prevents you from sending a parcel, but it does narrow your options, so it is worth deciding before you book rather than after.
Many carriers now operate label-free or print-at-drop-off services. You book online, receive a QR code or reference number on your phone, and the parcel shop or locker prints the label for you when you arrive. This is the simplest route for anyone without a printer at home, and it is available on an increasing share of services — but not all of them, so check that the service you are booking supports it.
The alternatives are more manual: some carriers will bring a printed label with the collecting driver, though this often needs to be requested at booking and is not universally offered. Failing that, a local print shop, library, coworking space or office will print a PDF for a small charge. What you must not do is copy the details out by hand — a hand-written address without a scannable barcode is not a valid shipping label.
Printing with 'fit to page' enabled, which rescales the barcode and can make it unscannable.
Using draft or toner-saving print modes, producing bars with too little contrast.
Folding the label around a corner of the box so the barcode sits on two planes.
Taping directly over the barcode, creating glare that defeats optical scanners.
Leaving an old label or barcode visible on a reused box, misrouting the parcel automatically.
Attaching the label to a curved, textured or heavily taped surface where it cannot lie flat.
Writing the address by hand instead of using the generated label — there is no barcode, so there is no routing.
Putting the wrong label on the wrong parcel when sending several at once. Match each label to its parcel as you go.
Print a spare copy and put it inside the box. If the outer label is destroyed, the carrier can open the parcel and identify it rather than treating it as unidentified freight.
Self-adhesive A4 label sheets are inexpensive and remove the taping step entirely.
A clear plastic document wallet taped over the label protects it from rain without laminating the barcode in glare.
When sending several parcels, attach each label immediately after printing it rather than printing all of them first.
Photograph the attached label before handover — it is a useful record if a tracking dispute arises later.
Check the label shows the destination you expect. It is a genuine last chance to catch an address typo.
Yes, on services that support label-free or print-at-drop-off booking. You receive a QR code or reference on your phone and the parcel shop or locker prints the label when you arrive. Not every service offers it, so confirm availability at the booking stage rather than assuming it.
No. Shipping labels are designed for black and white laser or inkjet printing. What matters is contrast and scale, not colour — a crisp black barcode on white paper printed at 100% is exactly what the scanners expect.
No. The address text is for humans at the final delivery stage, but the routing is done entirely by barcode. A hand-written parcel has nothing for the automated network to read and will not travel.
On the largest flat face of the parcel, lying completely flat, with all four edges taped down and the barcode left clear of tape where possible. Never across a seam, an edge or a corner.
The parcel drops out of automated sorting and is treated as unidentified. If you placed a spare copy of the label inside the box, the carrier can open it, identify the shipment and put it back into the network. Without that, recovery is slow and often unsuccessful — which is why the spare copy is worth the extra sheet of paper.
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