Print barcode labels and price tags

How do I print tags for my stock?

Create a label template that matches your label paper, pick the products and quantities, choose what to show on each tag, and print. After the first setup it takes about a minute per delivery.

Before you start

• Products are added with SKUs and a barcode type (add a product with sizes and colors).
• A label printer and labels. Know the label width and height, and for sheets, how many across and down.
• A barcode scanner to test with. Most USB and Bluetooth scanners work as a keyboard, so no setup is needed.

Step by step: create a label template

1. Go to Settings → Barcode settings (sometimes called label settings).
2. Choose Add and name the template after the paper, for example “Roll 50 x 25 mm” or “Sheet 30 per page”.
3. For a thermal roll, tick continuous feed, set the label width and height, and set one label per row.
4. For a sheet, set the paper size, labels per sheet, the number per row, the top and left margins, and the gap between labels.
5. Save. Set it as the default if it is the one you use most.

Measure your labels with a ruler rather than trusting the box. A 1 mm error on a 30-label sheet adds up to tags printing off the edge by the bottom row.

Step by step: print labels

1. Go to Products → Print labels.
2. Search for products by name or SKU and add them. For a variable product, pick the exact sizes and colors.
3. Set the number of labels for each line. Match it to the pieces in stock.
4. Choose what the tag shows: product name, variation (size and color), price, business name, brand, and so on. Pick a font size for each.
5. Choose the label template.
6. Choose Preview. Check the layout, then print from the browser.
7. In the browser print window, set margins to none and scale to 100%.

Print a whole delivery in one go

When a new collection arrives, open the purchase you received and choose Labels. Every line from the delivery is added with its received quantity. Adjust and print.

What should a boutique tag show?

Keep it readable from arm’s length:

• Style name and size, large.
• Color, if the item comes in more than one.
• Price. In the UAE this is usually the VAT-inclusive price.
• Barcode.

Leave off cost price, supplier and internal codes. Customers read tags.

For sale season, print a second set of tags with the new price or show the price only at the till. See barcode labels for more ideas on tags, swing tickets and markdown labels.

How do I test the labels?

1. Print one label.
2. At the register, click into the product search field and scan it.
3. The exact variation should land in the cart at the right price.

If it does, print the rest.

Common problems

The barcode will not scan

Usually the bars are too small or squashed. Make the label wider, lower the font sizes so the barcode gets more room, or switch to C128, which is more compact. Thermal labels also fail when the print head is dirty or the darkness is too low.

Labels drift down the sheet

The top margin or the gap between rows is wrong. Measure again, adjust the template, and make sure the browser is printing at 100% with no margins.

Thermal printer prints blank labels

You are using thermal transfer labels without a ribbon, or direct thermal labels upside down. Check the label type and orientation.

The scanner adds the item twice or not at all

Check the scanner sends an Enter after each scan, which is the default on most models. Make sure the cursor is in the product search box before scanning.