Free shipping label template: 4x6 and Letter 2-up, with honest fine print
Print it for the addresses. Buy a label for the postage.
This free shipping label template from GoatLabels is a printable PDF in 4x6 for thermal printers and Letter 2-up for inkjet or laser, with FROM and TO blocks, weight and service lines and a clear box for postage. It is not postage: the paid carrier barcode comes from a label you buy.
When you need postage, USPS, UPS and FedEx
USPS, UPS and FedEx rate-shopped on every domestic parcel, and DHL on international lanes, from one account, with one price per rate shown before you buy.
A prepaid wallet, a dated line per label
Fund it by card, ACH or crypto. Each label is a dated ledger line, and a later carrier adjustment gets a line of its own.
Updated
What is in this shipping label template, and what does it leave out?
This shipping label template is a printable page with a FROM block, a SHIP TO block, a ruled box for postage and lines for the weight, box size and service, in a 4x6 file for thermal printers and a Letter file that holds two half-sheet labels. It leaves out paid postage and the carrier's tracking barcode, which come with a paid label or a counter purchase.
USPS facts, checked
- The address and barcode go squarely on the parcel's largest surface, or on the top when its shape and contents need an upright orientation, and must not overlap any side of the parcel or another label. (DMM 202.6.1)
- The barcode should sit immediately next to the delivery address and at least 1 inch from the edge of the parcel. (DMM 202.6.1)
- The delivery address must be visible and legible, only on the side bearing postage, with a clear space for the address, postage and postmarks. (DMM 602.1.1 and 1.2)
- A return address is required on Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, Package Services and Parcel Select, among other mail, and goes in the upper left corner of the address side or of the addressing area. (DMM 602.1.5.3 and 1.6)
- Any obsolete marking on a box you reuse must be obliterated, and a handling marking such as Fragile goes below the postage, above the addressee's name and to the right of the return address. (DMM 601.5.1)
- The mailer is responsible for proper payment of postage. (DMM 102.1.3)
The template carries no postage. Published USPS prices, fees and service windows are a benchmark, not what a GoatLabels label costs: a GoatLabels quote is one price per rate for your packed parcel, shown before you buy.
Each file is one page with no logo, images or form fields, about 23 KB (4x6) and 30 KB (Letter), free to download with no account.
The ruled box, labelled "Carrier postage label goes here (paid barcode)", is the clear space for postage bought at a counter. A full paid label already prints both addresses, the service and the tracking barcode, so it replaces this sheet rather than going on top of it. Use the template for a counter purchase, a spare address copy inside the box, a hand-delivered box, or a weight and size checklist before you buy online.
Which size should you print: 4x6, Letter 2-up or A4?
Print the 4x6 file if you own a thermal label printer, and the Letter 2-up file on any inkjet or laser printer; on A4 paper, print the Letter file at actual size.
| Format | What prints | Printer | Label stock | How it goes on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4x6 thermal | One 4 x 6 in label | 4x6 thermal label printer | 4 x 6 in thermal labels | Peel and stick |
| Letter 2-up | One 8.5 x 11 in page, two 8.5 x 5.5 in labels | Inkjet or laser | Half-sheet label sheets, or plain paper | Peel, or trim and tape |
| A4 (use the Letter file) | The Letter file at actual size | Inkjet or laser | A4 plain paper | Trim and tape; fields sit 0.4 in inside the edge |
Page sizes are the two PDFs as rendered on . Stock and printer pairings are general practice, not a carrier rule.
On A4, the Letter file loses no field at actual size, but its two halves will not line up with A4 half-sheet label stock. The printer trade-offs are in thermal printer vs inkjet for shipping labels.
How do you fill in and print the shipping label template?
Open the PDF in a browser or PDF reader, print it at actual size with scaling set to 100 and fit-to-page switched off, then write the addresses in dark ink in block capitals.
- Pick the file that matches your printer and stock; on a thermal printer, set the paper size to 4 x 6 in.
- Write SHIP TO from the top line down: name, street and number with any apartment or suite, then city, state and ZIP Code, the order DMM 602.1.3 sets.
- Write your own address in the FROM block, upper left, where USPS expects a return address.
- Fill in weight, box size and service, so the counter or the online label form has the numbers ready.
The PDFs have no fill-in form fields: handwriting in dark ink needs no software, and USPS asks for a legible delivery address (DMM 602.1.2). For the numbers, see how to weigh a package and package size and weight limits.
Can a printed template be used as a shipping label?
Only as an address label: under DMM 102.1.3 the mailer is responsible for paying the postage, so the template ships only once postage is added at a counter or replaced by a paid label.
At a counter, the postage goes on beside the address, because USPS wants the delivery address only on the side that bears the postage (DMM 602.1.2, checked ). Online, buy a full paid label and print it instead of the template, on the same 4x6 stock or Letter sheet. The steps, including the no-printer route, are in how to print a shipping label, and USPS specifics in USPS shipping labels online.
Shipping more than a few boxes? The sibling download is the CSV template on bulk shipping labels from a CSV file, where each row becomes a paid label.
Where does the shipping label go on the box under USPS rules?
USPS wants the address and barcode squarely on the largest surface of the parcel, not wrapped over an edge or stuck across another label, with the barcode next to the delivery address and at least 1 inch from the edge.
| Rule | What USPS says | What to do with the template |
|---|---|---|
| Which side | Largest surface, squarely; the top if contents must ride upright | The whole sheet on that side, nothing folded over an edge |
| Overlap | The address label must not overlap a side of the parcel or another label | Trim the sheet to the panel; never stick it over an old label |
| Barcode spot | Next to the delivery address, at least 1 inch from the edge | The postage box sits next to SHIP TO, inside the border |
| Return address | Required on Priority Mail and Ground Advantage; upper left | FROM is the upper left of the sheet |
| Reused boxes | Obsolete markings must be obliterated | Cover every old label and barcode first |
From the USPS Domestic Mail Manual on Postal Explorer: DMM 202.6.1, DMM 602.1.1 to 1.6 and DMM 601.5.1, fetched . The right-hand column is our reading for this template, not USPS wording.
The same rules hold for a paid label: one flat panel, nothing wrapped over an edge onto another side. On a reused box, cover or black out every old barcode and address, since DMM 601.5.1 says obsolete markings must be obliterated; the same section reserves Fragile for delicate contents and puts it below the postage and above the addressee's name.
Label template vs label maker vs label platform: what is the difference?
A label template is a blank page, a label maker types your text onto that page, and a label platform or carrier site sells the postage and prints the carrier's label; only the last one gets a parcel moving on its own.
| Kind of tool | What it is | Postage | Tracking barcode | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Label template (this download) | Blank FROM and TO fields you print | None | None | Counter postage, a spare copy inside the box |
| Label maker or generator | A form that lays typed text out as a label PDF | Only if the tool sells postage | One drawn from your own text is not a carrier barcode | A typed address label, postage bought elsewhere |
| Carrier site or label platform | Sells postage and gives you the carrier's label PDF | Paid when you buy the label | The carrier's tracking barcode | Any parcel going into a carrier's network |
Our generic description, ; no product is named or rated.
The test for any shipping label maker or generator: did you pay for postage, and did the barcode come from the carrier? If not, you hold an address label like this template, just typed.
How does GoatLabels replace the template when you need postage?
GoatLabels is a label platform: you enter the addresses, weight and box size once, compare USPS, UPS and FedEx prices, pay from a prepaid wallet and download the paid label as a PDF.
What GoatLabels does and does not do. GoatLabels rate-shops USPS, UPS and FedEx on every domestic parcel, and DHL on international lanes, from one account, with one price per rate shown before you buy. Labels default to 4x6 for thermal printers, with Letter and A4 PDFs too, and you can merge up to 50 labels and their packing slips into one PDF. Domestic USPS labels bought on GoatLabels include a Label Broker QR code, so a Post Office that has Label Broker can print the label for you (usps.com Label Broker; see USPS Label Broker QR codes). With your own PrintNode account, labels can print automatically after purchase on Pro.
The wallet is funded by card, ACH or crypto, and a carrier adjustment, if one follows, posts as its own ledger line. GoatLabels does not generate a USPS SCAN form, and it schedules a carrier pickup from the dashboard or the API for labels already bought, where the carrier offers one; drop-off is the default. Void an unused label and, after the carrier accepts the void, the credit posts back to your prepaid wallet as spendable balance, not a card refund (see how to void a shipping label). GoatLabels does not offer hazmat, freight or LTL, and it cannot use your own negotiated carrier accounts; perishables ship at the shipper's risk on a 2-day or overnight service and live animals only on a next-day service, under each carrier's rules.
Free: 50 shipments a month. Pro: a flat $40 a month, unlimited shipments. Label prices are the same on the Free and Pro plans; see pricing.
Shipping label templates, answered
- Is this shipping label template really free?
- Yes. Both PDFs download without an account. They carry no postage, so a parcel still needs counter postage or a paid label before a carrier will move it.
- Is there a shipping label template for Word?
- This one is a PDF, not a Word file, because a PDF keeps its page size from one computer to the next. Print it at actual size and write the addresses in dark ink.
- Does a shipping label template include postage or a tracking barcode?
- No. Postage is paid separately, at a counter or as a paid label, and the tracking barcode comes from the carrier with that purchase. A barcode a template or label generator draws from your own text is not a carrier tracking barcode.
- What size is this shipping label template?
- Two sizes: one 4 x 6 inch page, the size thermal label printers take, and a Letter page holding two half-sheet labels for an inkjet or laser printer. Print either one at actual size.
- Where does a shipping label go on a box?
- USPS asks for the address and barcode squarely on the largest surface of the parcel, or on the top when the contents must ride upright, with no label overlapping a side of the box or another label (DMM 202.6.1, checked November 9, 2026).
Related reading: how to print a shipping label, USPS shipping labels online, thermal printer vs inkjet for shipping labels, bulk shipping labels from a CSV file, package size and weight limits by carrier, how to weigh a package.
Print the template for the addresses.
Buy the label for the postage.
USPS, UPS and FedEx rate-shopped on every domestic parcel, and DHL on international lanes, from one account, with one price per rate shown before you buy and paid labels as 4x6, Letter or A4 PDFs.
The template carries no postage. Label prices are the same on the Free and Pro plans.