Print UPS labels on a thermal label printer (100×150)

UPS designs its thermal labels for 4×6 inch stock; in Europe, the matching roll is 100×150 mm. With the right driver and the UPS Thermal Printing app for ups.com, or the label printer settings in UPS WorldShip, a Zebra, TSC or Honeywell label printer prints one UPS label per parcel instead of A4 sheets.

Which UPS tool and label size

UPS gives its label sizes in inches: ups.com, including CampusShip, works with "most thermal label printers that print 4" x 6" labels"; WorldShip also handles 4" x 8".

4×6 in is 101.6×152.4 mm, so a 100×150 mm label is about 2 mm smaller each way. Print one test label and check that no edge of the address or barcodes is cut off.

Load 100×150 mm direct thermal labels

Use direct thermal labels, which need no ribbon, such as our 100×150 mm thermal labels, 500 pcs or the eco version, 1000 pcs. "40 g" and "76 g" in the names stand for the core diameter in mm, not the weight.

• Check the core. 76 mm cores suit industrial printers such as the Zebra ZT231; the ZD421 takes them with Zebra's core adapters and the TSC DA210/DA220 only with the external roll mount, while the ZD220/ZD230 and Honeywell PC42E don't list them. The 40 mm core isn't on these desktop printers' core lists, so check your printer's specification or ask us which roll fits.
• Calibrate after loading so the printer learns the 150 mm label length, for example with ZD220/ZD230 calibration or TSC DA210/DA220 calibration.

Install the driver and set 100×150 mm

UPS's setup asks for a thermal printer driver, from UPS's list or from the printer manufacturer's website.

• Zebra: install the ZDesigner driver (see ZDesigner on Windows 11). In Printing preferences, set Page Setup › Media Settings to 100 mm wide and 150 mm high, and Printing mode to Thermal Direct. UPS's current setup page accepts either this manufacturer driver or UPS's own Zebra driver. An older UPS driver guide, which mentions a UPS Printer Applet no longer on the current page, says the driver supplied with Eltron/Zebra printers won't work with ups.com and CampusShip; if ups.com labels don't print with ZDesigner, try UPS's Zebra driver.
• TSC: in the TSC Windows driver, open Printing preferences › Page Setup, click New under Stock and create a 100×150 mm stock.
• Honeywell: in InterDriver, set the label width and height to 100×150 mm in the printing preferences.

If you print a UPS label PDF or image page yourself: a page of exactly 4×6 in or 100×150 mm prints at actual size (100 %); any other page size needs fit to page. Never shrink an A4 sheet with several labels onto one label: the bars become too thin to scan.

Step by step per brand: Zebra, TSC and Honeywell PC42E.

Print from ups.com with the UPS Thermal Printing app

1. On UPS's page Using a Thermal Printer for UPS Shipping, download and install the UPS Thermal Printing app. UPS offers it as a Windows setup file (.exe).
2. Allow pop-ups from ups.com in your browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari or another supported browser): labels open in a pop-up window.
3. Select Create a Shipment from the Shipping tab and fill in Ship From, Ship To, package, service and payment.
4. When you print the label, select your thermal label printer.
5. Check the first label before you ship more parcels.

Set up the label printer in UPS WorldShip

1. Go to Tools › System Preferences › Printing Setup.
2. For a new printer, type a Printer ID, set Printer Type to Label and click Add. In the Label Printer Setup window, click Change Label Printer, then Add Printer.
3. In Printer Type Selection, choose Eltron/Zebra and click Install Zebra Printer to install a Zebra driver through WorldShip (if your model is listed), or Other to pick a printer already installed on the PC with its own Windows driver: TSC, Honeywell, or Zebra with ZDesigner. Select the printer and click Select.
4. Under Label Configuration, set Label Stock Dimensions to Thermal 4x6 or 4x6¼. If only 8½ x 11 sizes appear, tick Generic Thermal Printer, the option for thermal printers that aren't approved UPS models.
5. Click Apply. On the Printing Setup tab, click Print Test Page, then Update. Tick Default Printer if you have more than one label printer.

Check that the barcodes scan

Scan the tracking barcode and the 2D code on the first label with a scanner or phone.

• Pale print: raise the darkness one step at a time in the driver and print again.
• Still not crisp: lower the print speed.
• Bars run together: lower the darkness again.

Web shop apps and shipping software

Apps that use the UPS Shipping API choose the label format per shipment; UPS's examples request an image (GIF or PNG) or ZPL printer code on 4×6 in stock. ZPL suits Zebra printers, and the TSC DA series and Honeywell PC42E can emulate it. Image labels print through the driver set to 100×150 mm. If your app offers a thermal, ZPL or 4×6 option, choose it.

Platform steps: Shopify shipping labels on a thermal printer and WooCommerce shipping labels on a thermal printer.

Common problems