Printing with a desktop printer on Windows

Watch the Video Walkthrough: In this video above, we show you how to print a Pirate Ship shipping label using a common printer on a Mac using Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers.

Set up your printer

Print Any Document to Test the Printer: First, have you printed anything recently? If you haven’t, you should follow the directions that came with your printer to set it up. Once you’ve successfully printed any document, it’s time to print your label!

Use 8.5x11" Paper or Half-Sheet Sticker Paper: Since we’re using a regular desktop printer, we’ll be using plain-old 8.5x11-inch paper, which you can tape to your packages.
- You don't need any special printing paper to print your label, but if you'd like to purchase some for a standard desktop printer, we suggest this half-sheet sticker paper 👌

Printing Your Label

Print the Label: After you’ve bought a shipping label, click the giant green “Print Label” button.

Select the Label Format: At the top of the popup, select the label format you need for your printer.
- A regular desktop printer will print on 8.5x11 inch paper, which can fit up to two labels per page.
- The 4x6 inch option is for label printers, so only choose this format if you’re using that type of printer. If you choose this format and try to print with a desktop printer, it won't work!

Browsers

Once you’ve selected the label format, Pirate Ship will generate a label preview below, as long as you’re using a web browser that supports it, like Google Chrome.

We recommend using Chrome because it supports in-line PDFs, which will simplify printing your labels.

Chrome: In Chrome, when you put your cursor over the label preview, there’s this little print button on the top right, which will save you a couple extra steps when printing your labels.
- As you can see, clicking it opens a printing dialog box without having to download the file.
No In-Line PDFs with Firefox or Edge: Firefox and Windows Edge do not support in-line PDFs, so there will not be a label preview like there is in Chrome if you're using either of those browsers.
- Edge: Click the Open labels in new tab button to preview your label.
- Firefox: To preview your label in Firefox, right-click the Download PDF link and select "Open Link in New Tab." The PDF will open in a new tab. Select the tab, and at the top right, click the printer icon.

Settings/Configuration

Select Your Desired Printer: First, make sure the printer you want to use is selected.

Firefox: In Firefox, click the "Properties" button.
- Once you click "Properties," click Ok. Click Ok. Click Ok... and voila, your label should print as expected!
Edge: In Edge, you can select “Let the app change my printing preferences.” This should auto-configure the format for your printer. But for the sake of the example, we’ll leave it unchecked.
- If you selected 1 Shipping Label per Page in Pirate Ship; make sure the Orientation is set to Portrait, and if you selected the 2 labels per page option, make sure the Orientation is set to Landscape.

Chrome: Chrome’s orientation is always automatic.

Select the Correct Paper Size: It is also important to ensure you have the correct Paper Size selected. In Chrome and Edge, click More settings; and in Firefox, click Advanced.
- The Paper Size should be Letter, US Letter, or 8.5x11”. This is your standard run-of-the-mill paper size.
- Just click "Print" for Edge and Chrome, and you're all set!

Label not printing correctly?

Re-Follow the Steps Above: If your label did not print as expected, make sure you followed each step correctly. Most issues happen from not selecting the correct Label Format in Pirate Ship, or by not selecting the right Paper Size or Orientation in the printing dialogue box.

A label printer will save you time if you're shipping lots of packages

Label Printers Can Save You Time: If you’re shipping lots of packages, we definitely recommend getting a label printer like the Brother QL-1110NWB.
- See our full list of label printer recommendations.