Can USPS Print My Label?

Anish

May 31, 2023

Creating a shipping label can confuse some people, especially those using the service for the first time. 

Suppose a package’s shipping label is unclear or incomplete. In that case, that package can be delayed in transit and delivered to the wrong address. USPS offers various services, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs.

But does USPS print free shipping labels? What kind of labels can USPS print? How do you create a prepaid shipping label from USPS, and where can you get one? How can you send a prepaid shipping label, and what is a Label Broker feature?

This article addresses whether USPS prints labels for free to its customers. It explains what kind of labels USPS can print, how to create a prepaid shipping label, and where to get one.

In addition, this piece describes where you can print your shipping labels and how to send a prepaid label. It also discusses the USPS Label Broker and what this feature does to serve customers.

A shipping label can help ensure that a parcel is delivered without problems. If the recipient doesn’t include a shipping label with their order, it’s more likely to get lost or delivered incorrectly.

Ask your local post office if you have more inquiries regarding shipment labels from USPS. To look for a nearby post office in San Francisco, San Antonio, Seattle, Oklahoma, Philadelphia, and other cities in the United States, check out FindPostOffice.org. This website can help locate all 31,330 post offices in the United States.

Does USPS Print Labels?

The United States Postal Service allows customers to generate shipping labels at home and then take them to a post office for printing without charge. 

Does USPS Print Labels for Free?

Although it’s free for USPS to print labels, the shipping fee is not included.

What Kinds of Labels Will the USPS Print for You?

USPS will print various labels that the Click-N-Ship service supports. Those services are Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express, and Priority Mail.

Click-N-Ship is an online service offered by the U.S. Postal Service that allows you to create prepaid shipping labels.

The following services are not available using the Click-N-Ship program:

Note that if you print a shipping label at the post office, the person assisting you must also affix the label to your package.

Meanwhile, the Label Broker feature works with Click-N-Ship. However, the Label Broker is not intended for printing at the post office and bringing the labels back home. So make sure that you take the package to the post office.

How Do You Create a Prepaid USPS Shipping Label?

Printing your shipping labels at home can help you save time and money. This feature also allows a more modern, contactless experience than visiting the post office. You can create prepaid shipping labels by signing up online at USPS.com.

Where Can You Get a Prepaid Shipping Label From USPS?

To create a USPS Shipping label, you can either sign up for Click-N-Ship through the USPS website or use an online shipping service that partners with the U.S. Post Office, such as PitneyShip.

You can also use the Label Broker feature at your local post office to create labels for shipping. Just don’t forget to bring your package when you print your shipping label.

How Do You Print Labels From USPS?

To print a shipping label, follow these four easy steps:

  1. Enter all the necessary label information, such as return and delivery address. Then move to “Select Service Type.”
  2. Click on the button for the “Service” you want and any extra services. After making all your selections, click the “Add to Cart” button and review the items in your shipping cart.
  3. Check the label information on the Shipping Cart page. You can correct, create or delete the label from your order or click “Next: Billing Information” to purchase your labels. 
  4. Follow the steps to select your payment method and enter your billing information. Then click the “Next: Pay and Print” button.
  5. From the Payment Confirmation page, you can print your labels at home or through the Label Broker feature at any U.S. Post Office location.

Where Can You Go to Print a USPS Shipping Label?

You can print shipping labels at most post office locations or by visiting USPS.com.

Can You Print USPS Labels From Home?

With USPS.com, you can get the same services wherever you are. Sign in or create an account at USPS.com to start the Click-N-Ship service. 

Enter your package details and pay for postage, then print a shipping label by following the procedures given on the website.

Can You Print a USPS Label From Your Phone?

Yes. You can print an address label for your package using an online shipping service app that prints labels for packages, such as the PitneyShip app. You can create a shipping label on an iPhone or Android phone and print it directly from your device.

Can You Print USPS Labels on Regular Paper?

Yes. You can print your labels on A4 paper (8 and 1/2 inches x 11 inches). You can also purchase self-adhesive labels that fit the size requirements.

What Size Should You Use for USPS Shipping Labels?

The preferred label size for USPS labels is 4 inches x 6 inches. In addition to the standard size, labels are available in 6 inches x 3 inches.

Can USPS Print a Shipping Label From Your Phone?

USPS agents can scan your Label Broker-generated QR (quick response) code from a phone or printed copy.

How Can You Send a Prepaid Shipping Label With USPS?

You should use the printed shipping labels purchased from USPS within seven days of your original label’s purchase date. You can only use the shipping label for 90 days after its creation.

Shipping labels expire, so you should send them out digitally at a customer’s request instead of including one with an outgoing order. 

USPS Click-N-Ship service is the quickest and easiest way to create prepaid shipping labels. After you’ve signed in to the USPS website, look for the Click-N-Ship service and follow the prompts to print a shipping label. 

Once you’ve filled out the shipment information, you can start to print your label. The Click-N-Ship feature also opens as a PDF file which you can save or forward to the person you’re shipping to.

Using a Label Broker: What Is the Label Broker Feature?

The Label Broker feature allows shippers without a printer to print labels and ship with USPS. As the sender of the package, you can print prepaid and No Postage Necessary shipping labels at any post office or on its website.

What Label Broker Offers

The Label Broker feature offers a label printing service for customers who don’t have a label printer. With the help of USPS Label Broker, eCommerce businesses and merchants provide their customers with an easier way to print outbound or return shipping labels.

 The participating label providers provide customers with a Label Broker ID and QR code, which USPS uses to print the labels.

Mobility

Label Broker is for people who want to avoid the hassle of printing labels and are always on the go. They can quickly access a QR code on their smartphones to get their label immediately.

Convenience

USPS retail associates can print shipping labels and then attach those labels to the packages that need to be sent.

Choice

Customers can print shipping labels directly from USPS.com if they have access to a printer at home.

How It Works

Let’s say you’re a business owner who sends multiple packages to customers. Once USPS has approved your shipping system, you can store customers’ prepaid or postage-guaranteed labels in a secure Label Broker repository. 

You’ll provide your customers with a unique ID that will enable them to print labels directly from their computers.

  1. You can create labels for yourself or your customers.
  2. Store the labels you created in the Label Broker repository and send customers their unique Label Broker ID via text or email.
  3. Provide your customers a Label Broker ID, which they take to the post office to ship packages. USPS will print a shipping label at the counter after scanning the ID.
  4. Customers can print their shipping label at the USPS website if they have a printer.
  5. You can easily manage all your customers’ labels. 

Do You Already Have a Label Broker ID?

Your Label Broker ID allows you to do the following:

  • Access your USPS Label Broker ID on your smartphone. Your USPS Label Broker ID shows a QR code with eight to ten characters.
  • Print labels at the post office. Bring your Label Broker ID and shipment with you and go to any USPS location.
  • Print labels directly from the website USPS.com if you have a printer available.

History of USPS

From 1753 to 1774, Benjamin Franklin improved the colonial mail service by overhauling a primitive courier system and reducing delivery times between Philadelphia and New York City to 33 hours.

Franklin’s journeys along the colonial post roads would inspire his revolutionary vision for how a new nation could thrive economically independent of Britain.

In the early 1770s, colonial rebels organized themselves into underground networks like the Committees of Correspondence and then the Constitutional Post to communicate without being detected by British authorities.

The Continental Congress created the Post Office of the United States in 1775 before signing and ratifying the Declaration of Independence. 

Other Services Provided by USPS

Additional services provided by the USPS include the following:

  • International Mail Services

You can mail letters, postcards, and packages from the United States to other countries. Like domestic mail, international shipping is available in various services based on speed and shipping costs. 

A customs declaration form is usually included with international shipments.

You must submit the customs forms electronically unless you are unable to do so. If this is the case, take your handwritten form to any post office, and a retail clerk will submit the electronic information.

  • Military Mail Services

The Postal Service delivers mail to more than 500 military post offices worldwide. There are many USPS services available for domestic and military mail. 

The Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box is available at a reduced price when sent to an APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office) address.

  • Money Orders

Money orders are safer than sending cash through the mail. If your money order goes missing or gets stolen, you can get it replaced.

You can purchase domestic money orders at any post office for up to $1,000. Most international money orders can’t go over $700.

  • Passports

A few post offices provide passport application and renewal services. For more details on applying for a passport, call 1 800 ASK USPS or check out the Travel.State.Gov website.

  • Paying for Merchandise

You can send merchandise to domestic destinations for a small fee. On your behalf, you can have the postal service collect payment from the recipient and forward it to you.

  • P.O. Boxes

A post office box is another way to receive mail without having to be home all the time. You can rent a P.O. Box online at USPS.com or most post offices. 

Three, six, and twelve-month prepaid periods are available for this service. Post office box prices vary depending on the location and size of the P.O. Box.

USPS Click-N-Ship Now Available Without a Printer

Using the USPS Label Broker feature, you can create and print shipping labels with Click-N-Ship. To use Click-N-Ship to print your postage label at the post office, select “Print Labels Later at the Post Office.” USPS will email a QR code to you, which can then be taken to a post office location with your package.

When you bring your package to the post office, an employee will scan the barcode and print your label. The employee will then affix the label to your package and include it in the mail system.

Alternatives to USPS

USPS may be a popular shipping option, but it may not always the cheapest or quickest for some deliveries. With eCommerce’s exponential growth, many people are looking for alternatives to USPS shipping.

Small businesses can use private carriers to deliver their goods and services at an affordable cost. Couriers offer a cost-effective alternative to the USPS for local delivery options.

FedEx

FedEx is a delivery company that was founded in 1971. It provides service to over 220 countries and territories. It offers various shipping options, including ground delivery, air freight, and international shipping.

DHL

DHL offers a wide range of global transport and logistics solutions. DHL’s innovative approach to the supply chain management challenges is evident in its expansion of services.

DHL offers various products and services for domestic and international parcel, document, and freight shipments.

UPS

UPS is one of the world’s leading package delivery companies and a supplier of global supply chain management solutions. The UPS brand operates one of the largest airlines and most extensive fleets of alternative fuel vehicles.

Amazon FBA

FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is a shipping service offered by Amazon that allows individual sellers to outsource their shipping. Amazon does all the work of fulfilling orders, including picking and packing products for delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. What do I need to bring if I want to print my label at a post office location?

Just bring your Label Broker ID and package with you.

  1. Can I print a Label Broker label at a post office location and then take it home?

No, you can not. The Label Broker is not intended for printing at the post office and bringing them home.

References:

  1. Click-N-Ship
    https://www.stamps.com/usps/click-n-ship/
  2. Print Click-N-Ship Online Postages
    https://www.usps.com/ship/online-shipping.htm
  3. How do I print a Click-N-Ship label?
    https://faq.usps.com/s/article/How-do-I-print-a-Click-N-Ship-label
  4. How to create and print USPS® shipping labels?
    https://www.pitneybowes.com/us/blog/how-to-create-and-print-usps-shipping-labels.html
  5. Click-N-Ship Field Information Kit
    https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2002/html/pb22085/kit.html
  6. Label Broker Feature
    https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Label-Broker
  7. USPS Label Broker
    https://www.usps.com/business/label-broker.htm