Printing NZ Post Labels

Your Bluetooth Thermal Printer works a treat with NZ Post, there's just one thing to know first: NZ Post labels are 7" x 4" (174mm x 100mm), whereas our Shipping Labels are 6" x 4" (150mm x 100mm).

Both are valid NZ shipping label sizes, but are just shaped differently. Here's how to update your label size so you'll get clean, scannable labels, every time.

Check your NZ Post Settings

The cleanest result comes from generating your shipping label at 100mm x 150mm (4"x6") from the start, so there's no need for cropping or scaling. Check to see if you can change the print dimensions before you start printing.

  1. Log in to NZ Post eShip (or your shipping app)
  2. Check your label or printing settings for a label size or format option.
  3. If a 6" x 4" / 100 x 150mm / A6 option is offered, select it and save.

If you're unable to update your label size, don't panic! It just means you will need to tweak a few settings to get it printing right. We have a few different solutions for you below:

Printing a PDF label natively

When printing straight from your computer, ensure that your paper size is set to 4" x 6" (100mm x 150mm). If you can't find this option, you can create a custom paper size with these same dimensions.

Most NZ Post labels are horizontal rather than vertical, so you will either need to rotate the PDF before printing, or sure auto rotate is turned on in your print settings.

After selecting your 4" x 6" size, some parts of your label may be cut off from any edges or borders. Scale down your label size until you find the sweet spot where everything fits nicely on the page, usually around 85-90%.

Once those settings are checked, you're good to start printing! Be sure to run a few test prints with sample labels before committing to the real deal, and save your custom print settings as a preset for future use.

Additional Info:

If you find your label is printing too light, we recommend increasing your Print Density for a sharper, darker print. Setting this too high can cause bleeding, so we recommend sticking between 5-12.

You can also try using a PDF editor to crop your label to 6" x 4" to remove any negative space and create a better fit.

Using the MUNBYN Editor

The MUNBYN Editor lets you import your PDF, crop it to size, and print wirelessly, all in your browser.

  1. Go to editor.munbyn.com and select the Importing PDF button
  2. Select and upload your label.
  3. Update the rotation to make sure it fits on the page correctly if needed, and ensure the print size is set to 100mm x 150mm.
  4. If your label is too big, select Cropping and select the area that you want to keep.
  5. Connect your Bluetooth Thermal Printer and print.

Printing from Chrome (Mac or Windows)

  1. Open your PDF and press Cmd+P (Mac) or Ctrl+P (Windows), and select your Bluetooth Thermal Printer.
  2. Open More Settings, and set the Paper Size to 4 in x 6 in (100mm x 150mm).
  3. Open the Scale settings and select either Default (if your label doesn't need resizing) or Customised and scale down your label size.
  4. Print your test label and adjust settings if need be. If the size options look limited, click Print using system dialog for the full set.

Printing from Adobe Acrobat (Mac or Windows)

  1. Open your PDF and go to File > Print.
  2. Select your printer and set the scale to Actual Size
  3. Turn off the "Fit" and "Shrink oversized pages" settings.
  4. Set your paper size to 4" x 6" if prompted, and print.

Printing from StarshipIt

If you ship using StarshipIt, you can set your label size within your settings.

  1. Login to StarshipIt and go to Settings > Printing.
  2. Under Advanced, create a new label under Your current print settings and set the size to 100mm (W) x 150mm (H).
  3. Download and install the StarshipIt Print Client for your device so labels can be sent straight to your printer.
  4. In the Print Client, open the Printers tab. Select your Bluetooth Thermal Printer from the dropdown list and click assign.
  5. Print a test label to confirm it's working smoothly.

If you are finding that the label is printing at the wrong size, it is most likely due to a size mismatch between the size set on StarshipIt and the size set on your printer, so make sure they're both set to 100mm x 150mm.

Printing labels from Shopify

Shopify generates shipping labels as 4" x 6" PDFs, but this can default to A4/Letter size which may cause parts of your label to shrink or be cut off. The way to avoid that is by setting it to Thermal.

  1. Fulfil an order and purchase the shipping label first (the format option only shows after you've purchased the label)
  2. On the Print Shipping Label page, open Print Options or Change Format
  3. Choose Thermal (4"x6") instead of Letter/A4.
  4. Print and test if it works. If you don't see the format option, void the label and repurchase it, then the chooser usually reappears.

You can also set the default in Settings > Shipping and Delivery > Shipping labels and choose the thermal 4" x 6" format so you don't have to change it each time.

Before you print a full batch: 

Always print one label first and check:

  1. The barcode is sharp and scans cleanly
  2. The address and courier details aren't cut off
  3. Nothing has shrunk or been squished.

If something looks off, it's almost always a scaling setting. Go back and confirm the size is set to 6" x 4" / 100 x 150mm at 100% scale.

Still stuck?

Our Aussie-based support team is here to help. Reach us on WhatsApp between 10am and 10pm daily, and we'll get you printing in no time.