Buying postage at a counter is the most expensive way to ship. Every major carrier prices retail rates above the online rates available to anyone with a printer, and label platforms layer further discounts on top by pooling volume. If you send more than a couple of parcels a month, printing at home pays for itself quickly. Here is the practical setup, start to finish. ## What you need **A printer.** Two viable options: - **Any ordinary inkjet or laser printer.** Print the label on plain A4 or Letter paper, cut it out, and attach it with clear tape or a self-adhesive pouch. Free to start, slower per parcel. - **A direct thermal label printer.** Prints 4x6 inch adhesive labels with no ink at all. Roughly the cost of a mid-range printer, then only the cost of label rolls. If you ship more than around ten parcels a week, this is the upgrade that saves the most time. **A scale.** A digital kitchen scale works for small parcels; a flat postal scale is better above a few kilograms. Guessing weight is the number one cause of carrier adjustment charges. **A tape measure.** Length, width and height determine dimensional weight, which frequently prices a parcel above its actual weight. ## Where to buy the label You have three tiers of options: 1. **Carrier websites directly.** USPS Click-N-Ship, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Royal Mail, Evri and most national posts sell labels online at rates below counter prices. Simple, no third party involved. 2. **Multi-carrier label platforms.** These compare live rates across carriers and often access commercial pricing that individuals cannot get directly. Best when you ship varied sizes and destinations. 3. **Marketplace built-in labels.** If you sell on a marketplace, its integrated label tool usually offers the deepest discount of all, because it uses the platform's aggregate volume - and it automatically attaches tracking to the order. Compare all three for a typical parcel before committing. The gap between retail counter pricing and platform pricing on the same service is often substantial. ## Step by step 1. **Weigh the packed parcel**, including box, filler and tape. Round up to the next increment the carrier bills in. 2. **Measure all three dimensions** at their widest points, including any bulge. 3. **Enter the addresses exactly as the recipient wrote them**, including apartment numbers and postal codes. Use the carrier's address validation if offered. 4. **Pick the service** on delivery date, not on name. Cheaper ground services frequently arrive the same day as a pricier option on short routes. 5. **Add insurance** for anything valuable. Declared value is not the same as insurance on every carrier - read which one you are buying. 6. **Print at 100 percent scale.** "Fit to page" shrinks the barcode and is the most common reason a label fails to scan. 7. **Attach it flat** on the largest face, over a single surface. Never fold a barcode around a corner or cover it with shiny tape that reflects scanner light. 8. **Remove or fully cover old labels** if you are reusing a box. Duplicate barcodes cause misrouting. 9. **Get proof of drop-off.** A scanned acceptance receipt is your evidence if the parcel disappears before its first scan. ## The mistakes that cost money - **Understating weight or size.** Carriers re-weigh in the network and bill the difference plus an adjustment fee, often days later. - **Ignoring dimensional weight.** A big, light box is priced on its volume. Downsizing the box is frequently a bigger saving than switching carrier. - **Using the wrong service for the contents.** Restricted goods - batteries, aerosols, alcohol, perishables - have specific service and labelling requirements. Undeclared restricted items can be destroyed without compensation. - **Printing a label days early.** Some services void or delay labels not dropped off within a set window, and estimated dates start from label creation on certain tracking pages. - **Skipping the customs form on international parcels.** No form means the parcel does not leave the country. ## Thermal printer setup in five minutes If you buy a thermal printer, three settings matter: - **Media type: direct thermal**, not thermal transfer, unless your printer uses ribbons. - **Label size: 4x6 inches** (or 100x150 mm), set both in the driver and in the label platform. - **Print speed and darkness:** lower the speed and raise the darkness slightly if barcodes look faded. A grey barcode is a failed scan waiting to happen. Store label rolls away from heat and direct sunlight - direct thermal paper darkens permanently when warmed. ## Scheduling a collection instead of a drop-off Most carriers will collect from your address, sometimes free with certain services and sometimes for a small fee. For anyone shipping regularly, a standing daily collection removes the largest time cost of the whole process. Compare the collection fee against the value of the round trip to a drop-off point before dismissing it. ## Returns labels If you sell, include or email a returns label option. Pay-on-use returns labels are only charged when the customer actually ships, so there is no cost to offering them. Returns handled through a proper label give you tracking and a scan trail; returns handled informally give you disputes. ## Bottom line A scale, a tape measure and any printer are enough to start shipping at online rates today. Add a thermal printer once volume justifies it, always print at full scale, and treat weight and dimensions as facts to be measured rather than estimated. Those habits alone eliminate the two things that turn a cheap label into an expensive one: surcharges and failed scans.