How to Create Shipping Labels in Magento 2

With Magento 2, it is easy for store admins to create shipping labels for both new and existing orders. However, before you begin creating the shipping labels, you need your own shipping carrier account from UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL, then complete the content of the package. In this tutorial, I will guide you in detail how to work with the shipping carrier, create the shipping labels and print them for the delivery. A single order is placed for each package delivered, and a single shipment with multiple packages will receive multiple shipping labels.

Explore how to Configure Shipping Labels in Magento 2 here

What is a Shipping label?

Shipping label refers to a paper listing all delivery information of an order, such as sender’s address and phone number, recipient’s address and phone number, package’s weight and contents, the shipping time, etc.

From the shipping label, stores, carriers, and customers can easily handle the order, track its status, and resolve problems such as goods loss or damage. Each carrier usually has its own label template, so please check beforehand with your carrier.

4 Steps to Create Shipping Labels in Magento 2

Step 1: Communicate with Your Shipping Carriers

Please ensure that your shipping accounts are set up to process labels before, thus some carriers might charge an additional fee to add shipping labels to your account.

• Communicate with each carrier who you use to attach shipping labels for your store.
• To add shipping labels to your account, do the following:
  • FedEx - Contact FedEx Web Services regarding their label evaluation process.
  • USPS - Contact uspstechsupport@esecurecare.net to request that API Signature Confirmation V3 be enabled for your live USPS API Access account.
  • UPS Contact UPS to verify your account type supports shipping labels. To generate shipping labels, you must use the UPS XML option.
  • DHL Contact the DHL Resource Center to learn more about their services or send an inquiry through their Contact Center.

Step 2: Complete the Configuration for Each Carrier

• Ensure that you have already completed Store Information.
• For each carrier account, you need to do:

UPS Configuration

United Parcel Service (UPS) supports both domestic and international shipment. However, the shipping labels are issued only for the shipments that originate within the United States.

• On the Admin Panel, Stores > Settings > Configuration.
• On the left panel, under Sales, select Shipping Methods.
• Open the UPS section,
  • Set UPS Type to United Parcel Service XML.
  • Scroll down and verify your Shipper Number is correct.
  • Save Config when complete.

USPS Configuration

[United States Postal Service (USPS)] supports both domestic and international shipment.

• Continuing with the Shipping Method, open the USPS section,
  • Check whether a Secure Gateway URL is entered that should be auto-entered.
  • Type the Password taken from the USPS account.
  • Set Size to “Large” and complete its length, width, height, and girth.
• Save Config when complete.

FedEx Configuration

FedEx supports both domestic and international shipment. Any stores can issue FedEx label for international shipment only.

• Continuing with the Shipping Method, open the FedEx section.
• Check that Meter Number, Key, and Password are correct.
• Save Config when complete.

DHL Configuration

DHL only supports the international shipment service.

• Continuing with the Shipping Method, open the DHL section,
  • Check whether a Secure Gateway URL is entered that should be auto-entered.
  • Check that Access ID, Password, and Account Number are correct.
• Save Config when complete.

Step 3: Create Shipping Labels

From Magento 2 configuration, you can follow two methods below to create the shipping labels for yourself.

• Method 1: Create Label for New Shipment
• Method 2: Create Label for Existing Shipment

Method 1: Create Label for New Shipment

• On the Admin Panel, Sales > Operations > Orders.
• Open the record of the order whose status is “Pending” or “Processing”.
• In the upper-right corner, click on Ship and verify the shipping information according to carrier requirements.
• In the lower-right corner, tick the Create Shipping Label checkbox, then hit the Submit Shipment, and do the following:
  • Click on the Add Product to move the products from order to the package. The Quantity that is available in the package is shown in the Quantity column.
  • Mark the checkbox next to the product you want to add, then insert the Quantity of each. Click Add Selected Product(s) to Package to finish.
    • To add a new package, use Add Package button.
    • To delete a package, use Delete Package button.
• OK when complete.
• If you want to cancel an order, hit the Cancel. After that, the Create Shipping Label checkbox is cleared automatically, meaning that creating a shipping label is unsuccessful.

Magento connects to the shipping carrier system, submits the order, and receives a shipping label and tracking number for each package.

• If the label is successfully created, the shipment is submitted, the tracking number appears in the form, and the label is ready to print.
• If the carrier cannot create the label due to the problems with connection, or for any other reasons, the shipment is not processed.

Method 2: Create Label for Existing Shipment

• On the Admin Panel, Sales > Operations > Orders.
• Open the Shipping form from the existing order, then do the following:
  • In the Shipping and Tracking Information section, click on Create Shipping Label.
  • Move the ordered product(s) to the package and hit Ok.
  • Click Show Packages to review the package information.

Magento connects to the shipping carrier system, submits an order, and receives a shipping label and a tracking number.

The existing shipping label can be replaced by a new one, but the existing tracking numbers are not changed, and Any new tracking number is added to the existing one.

Step 4: Print the Shipping Labels

Shipping Labels are published in PDF format and are supported to print from the Admin. On each label, the order number and package number are displayed clearly to avoid compounding.

Let follow two methods below to print the shipping labels.

• Method 1: Print Label from Shipment Form
• Method 2: Print Labels for Multiple Orders

Method 1: Print Label from Shipment Form

• On the Admin Panel, you need:
  • Select Sales > Orders, open the record of the order. In the panel on the left, choose Shipments. Then, open the shipment record.
  • Select Sales > Shipments, find the order in the grid, and open the record.
• To download the PDF file, hover over the Shipping and Tracking section of the form, and click Print Shipping Label. The file will be opend and viewed by PDF file if your computer supports.

If you can’t see the Print Shipping Label button, this means the carrier hasn’t generated labels for the shipment yet. Let back to click on Create Shipping Label.

Method 2: Print Labels for Multiple Orders

• On the Admin Panel, in the Sales tab, choose Orders or Shipments.
• In the order list, tick on the order you want to print the shipping label from.
• Set the Actions control to “Print Shipping Labels”.
• Submit and complete.

Ref: Magento 2 one step checkout with multiple shipping

The bottom line

To effectively track your order status and solve problems in the future, you should create Shipping Labels in Magento 2 following the above steps. If you need more support in this issue, don’t hesitate to leave comments for us.