Print 100×150 mm shipping labels on Honeywell PC42E-T and PC42E-D

Courier portals deliver shipping labels as PDF files. Set up a Honeywell PC42E-T or PC42E-D once with the right print method, label size and scaling, and every label prints full size with barcodes that scan.

Before you start

Most shipping labels are direct thermal: the print appears where the printhead heats the label, so no ribbon is needed. The PC42E-D prints direct thermal only. The PC42E-T prints direct thermal labels without a ribbon and thermal transfer labels with one, but its factory print method is thermal transfer, so you change it once (step 2).

A 100 mm wide label fits both printers: they print up to 108 mm wide and take labels 25.4–114 mm wide. Check the roll too. Honeywell specifies rolls up to 127 mm in diameter on a 25.4 or 38.1 mm core; the PC42E-D also takes 12.7 mm cores. Our 1,000-label rolls have a 76 mm core and our 500-label roll a 40 mm core, neither of which is on Honeywell's list, so ask us which roll suits your printer.

No driver yet? See the PC42E setup guide.

Load the labels and calibrate

1. Open the cover and the print and ribbon mechanism. Place the roll between the media hubs and press the locking tab down. The printable side must face the printhead.
2. Slide the tab on the media sensor to gap, the position for labels with gaps between them.
3. Feed the labels under the mechanism and out of the front, and set the media holders to the label width. Lower the mechanism until both locking tabs click, then close the cover.
4. With the Status LED solid green, hold Print (PC42E-D: Print/Feed) for about 2 seconds. The printer feeds several labels to measure them; Honeywell calls this a testfeed.
5. Press the button once: the printer should feed exactly one label.

If the printer doesn't find the gaps, switch ECO off for slow calibration over several labels and try again. Details are in PC42E calibration.

Set direct thermal and the label size

The printer and Windows both need to know the label. Without the right size, Windows sends an A4 or Letter page and the label comes out tiny or cut off.

1. Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners, choose your Honeywell printer and open Printing preferences.
2. Set the label size to 100 mm wide and 150 mm high.
3. On the PC42E-T, set the print method to direct thermal for labels without a ribbon.
4. Click Apply and OK.

On the PC42E-T, Honeywell's user guide also describes the printer web page: enter the printer's IP address in a browser, log in and open Configure › Printing › Media. Set Print Method to direct thermal, check that Media Type is Media with Gaps (the default) and click Save. Honeywell's public PC42E-D documents don't describe its web page, so use the driver there.

Choose the label format in the courier portal

In the courier portal, pick the label printer format: names vary, for example 100×150, 4×6, A6, thermal or label printer. A label-sized PDF prints sharp and full size.

Don't shrink an A4 or A5 sheet with several labels onto one label: the barcode bars become too thin to scan. If the portal only creates such sheets, look for a label printer or A6 option in your account settings, or ask the courier.

Some carriers also offer ZPL, a label printer language. Honeywell lists ZPL II emulation (ZSim) for both printers; on the PC42E-T the default language setting, Autosense, detects the language of each label. Use ZPL only if your courier explains how its software sends it to the printer; otherwise PDF is simpler.

Print the PDF at the right size

1. Open the PDF and choose Print.
2. Select your Honeywell printer and check that the paper size shows 100×150 mm; a PDF reader can override the driver default.
3. Choose the scale. If the PDF page is exactly 100×150 mm or 4×6 in, print at actual size (100 %). For any other page size, such as A6, choose fit to page (the name differs between programs).
4. Choose portrait or automatic orientation.
5. Print one label and check it before you print a batch.

Adjust darkness and speed if needed

For poor print quality, Honeywell recommends cleaning the printhead and checking that the darkness suits the media. Change one setting at a time and print a test label after each change.

• Pale print or barcodes that won't scan: raise the darkness.
• Still not crisp: lower the print speed.
• Bars run together: lower the darkness.

Change darkness and speed in the driver's printing preferences or your label software. On the PC42E-T web page, Honeywell's user guide lists Darkness (1 to 100) and Print Speed under Configure › Printing › Print Quality. Clean the printhead with a Honeywell printhead cleaning card as described in PC42E troubleshooting.

Test the label

• Scan every barcode and 2D code with a scanner or phone.
• Check that no edge of the address or barcodes is cut off.
• Check that no blank label follows.

Common problems

Carrier-specific steps

Carriers name the label printer format differently, and not all use 100×150 mm: Posti (Finland) uses 107×225 or 107×251 mm thermo labels. Our carrier guides show the exact formats and settings:

• Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania: Omniva, SmartPosti, DPD, Venipak, Latvijas Pasts, LP Express
• Finland: Posti, Matkahuolto
• Poland: InPost, Poczta Polska, ORLEN Paczka, DHL eCommerce Poland
• Czechia: Packeta (Zásilkovna), PPL, Česká pošta and Balíkovna
• International: DHL Express, UPS, GLS
• Webshop platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce

Printing on a different printer? See shipping labels on Zebra printers or shipping labels on TSC printers.