My Labels are not Printing!
There are several things to check when your labels won't print. This article will guide you through the most common troubleshooting steps so that you can quickly get back up and running again. We will be taking a look at the following troubleshooting steps:
Verify that a Windows test page prints
Verify that the correct printer is selected in ShipWorks
Verify that the correct printing default is selected
Verify that the ShipWorks printing rules are correct
If you believe that you only need to select your default label printer, you may wish to begin with one of these articles first.
First, let's make sure that it is not an issue with the printer. We will do this by printing a Windows test page. Please, don't skip this step. Even if the printer was printing 5 minutes ago, it is common for printers to stop working.
Assuming Windows 10:
1. Type Printers and Scanners into the Windows Type here to search field. Then, press Enter.

2. Select the printer from the list of available printers. Then, click the Manage button.

3. Click the Print a test page link.

4. You may be notified that a test page was sent to the printer. Click Close.

Did the test page print?
Yes. Great! Please proceed to verifying that the correct printer is selected in ShipWorks.
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No. Here are a couple of things to try.
Power off the printer. Wait about 10 seconds and turn it back on. Then, try printing a test page again.
Reboot your PC. Then, try to print a test page again.
If none of these options help, please reach out to the manufacturer of your printer for support.
Now that you have successfully printed a Windows test page to your printer, let's make sure that the correct printer is selected in ShipWorks.
1. Open ShipWorks and go to Manage Templates.

2. On the Template Manager screen, select the Labels Thermal template.

3. To check the printer for any template, you will click the Edit button, then the Settings tab, then the Printing option. Then, select the correct printer from the Printer drop-down menu. (select the thermal printer)

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the Labels Standard template, selecting your standard inkjet or laser printer.
5. If you print international labels with UPS or FedEx, also check the Labels Commercial Invoice template, selecting your standard printer.
6. Try to print a single label from ShipWorks again by either processing a new shipment, or by selecting the order you originally attempted to print the label for and reprint the label.
To reprint a label you can select the order, right click the order and select Ship Orders. Then, on the Ship Order screen click on the Reprint Label button.
Did the label print?
Yes. Great! You are all set.
No. Let's verify that the correct type of printer is selected for your shipping provider(s).
1. Go to Manage Shipping Settings.

2. On the Shipping Settings screen, select the shipping provider for which you are encountering issues. For this example, we will select USPS.

3. On the Settings tab, click the blue link for Defaults - [provider name].

4. On the Shipping Profile screen, scroll down to the Labels section and then select the correct printer type from the Request label format drop-down menu.
Standard - Select if you print to an inkjet or a laser printer.
If you print to a thermal printer, you would select either Thermal - EPL or Thermal - ZPL (most common).

5. Click OK.
If you print labels with more than one shipping provider, you may wish to check the defaults at this time for those providers as well.
6. Click Close.
7. Try to print a single label from ShipWorks again by processing a new shipment. If you made changes to the default printer type (from standard to thermal for example) you will need to process a new shipping label in order to properly troubleshoot the issue.
Did the label print?
Yes. Great! You are all set.
No. Let's verify that your shipping rules are correct.
1. Please follow the steps outlined in this article to verify that the default printing rules are configured correctly. Then, return to this article.
2. Try to print a single label from ShipWorks again by either processing a new shipment, or by selecting the order you originally attempted to print the label for and reprint the label.
To reprint a label you can select the order, right click the order and select Ship Orders. Then, on the Ship Order screen click on the Reprint Label button.
Did the label print?
Yes. Great! You are all set.
No. Time to give us a call.
Still Need Help?
Please feel free to reach out to one of our awesome Technical Support Representatives in St. Louis. We are happy to help.
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