How to print barcode labels in Shopify
If you sell physical products through Shopify, at some point you need a barcode on each item. A printed barcode label turns every product into something a scanner can read, and that changes how fast and how accurately you can run the store. This guide covers the whole subject: why you print labels, what your options are, which printer and barcode type to use, and the actual step-by-step workflow. When you want the exact settings for a specific printer or label size, links to the detailed guides are further down.
What a barcode label is for
A barcode label is a printed copy of a product's barcode value, usually with the product title and price alongside it. In a Shopify store that value lives in the Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.) field on each product variant. Printing it onto a physical label lets you scan instead of type, which matters in three everyday situations:
- Scanning at the point of sale. With Shopify POS, a scanned barcode adds the right variant to the cart instantly, no searching by name, no wrong-size mistakes.
- Receiving stock. When a delivery arrives, scanning labels in is faster and less error-prone than matching packing slips by hand.
- Stocktakes. Counting inventory with a scanner against labeled shelves is quicker than a clipboard, and the counts line up with what Shopify already knows.
The common thread is speed and accuracy. Anywhere a person would otherwise read a product name and click through menus, a scan removes the step and the typo.
Your options for printing labels
There are two broad paths, and the right one depends on how much control you need.
Shopify's own Retail Barcode Labels app. Shopify publishes a free label app. It works, and if your needs are simple it may be all you require. Its limits show up quickly, though: it offers a fixed set of built-in templates with no custom sizes, the layout controls are basic, and there is no preview that matches exactly what comes out of the printer. If your label stock is not on its list, or you want round labels, you are stuck. There is a fuller comparison in the Shopify native app compared.
A dedicated label app. A purpose-built app fills those gaps: custom sizes, more barcode types, an exact print preview, and quantity handling that suits real stockrooms. LabelFast is the app we build at Advira. It defaults each label quantity to your stock on hand, so a full run for everything you have is two clicks rather than a number typed per product. It is read-only by default, so it never writes anything back to your store while you work. It supports Avery sheets, DYMO and Zebra rolls, and custom sizes including 3 inch circles, and it shows an exact print preview before anything reaches the printer. It prints through your browser's print dialog to any installed printer, so there is no separate driver to learn beyond the one your printer already needs.
Printer types
The biggest practical choice is the printer, because it decides what label stock you buy and how the labels feed. There are two families.
| Printer type | Label stock | Good for | Setup guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular inkjet or laser | Avery sheets (adhesive labels on Letter or A4 pages) | Low volume, no extra hardware, using a printer you already own | Avery 5160 template |
| Thermal label printer | Rolls (DYMO or Zebra) | Steady or high volume, one label at a time, no ink to buy | DYMO 30334 setup, Zebra printer setup |
Sheet labels are the cheapest way to start. You print a grid of labels onto an Avery sheet with the office printer you already have, then peel them off. The trade-off is that a half-used sheet is awkward to reuse, and inkjet output can smudge.
Thermal printers use heat instead of ink, printing crisp barcodes onto individual labels from a roll. DYMO LabelWriters suit small and medium stores; Zebra printers handle heavier volume and larger label sizes. There is no ink to run out, and you print exactly the number you need. If you are labeling stock regularly, a thermal printer usually pays for itself in convenience.
For non-rectangular stock, such as round jar lids or bottle tops, see round / circle labels.
The general workflow
Whatever app and printer you choose, the shape of the job is the same. Once your products have barcodes assigned in Shopify, the steps are:
- Pick products. Select the products or variants you want to label. This might be a single new arrival or your whole catalog.
- Set quantities. Decide how many labels per product. For shelf stock, that is usually one label per unit on hand. (In LabelFast this is pre-filled from your inventory, so you rarely type it.)
- Choose a size. Match the label size to your stock: an Avery layout for sheets, or the exact roll size for a thermal printer.
- Preview. Check the exact print preview so you can see the barcode, text placement, and spacing before committing a sheet or a run of roll labels.
- Print. Send the job to your printer through the print dialog, print one label first to confirm it scans, then run the batch.
The one setting that trips people up sits in the print dialog: scale. Print at 100% and turn off any fit-to-page or shrink-to-fit option. Scaling changes the width of the barcode bars, and scanners are far less forgiving of that than your eyes. A label can look perfect and still refuse to scan. The printer-specific guides walk through the exact dialog settings.
Barcode symbologies, briefly
A symbology is the format of the barcode, the pattern of bars and spaces. You do not need to master this, but it helps to know the common ones and that the right choice depends on your use:
- Code 128 is a dense, general-purpose format that encodes any of your own SKU or barcode values. It is a safe default for internal labeling.
- EAN-13 and UPC-A are the retail standards you see on packaged goods. Use these when your products carry official GTINs, especially if they will be sold or scanned outside your own store. UPC-A needs 12 digits; EAN-13 needs 13.
Others exist for specific needs, such as EAN-8 for very small packages, ITF-14 for cartons, and QR or Data Matrix when you want to encode a link or more data. LabelFast supports 8 types in total (Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, ITF-14, Code 39, QR, Data Matrix), so you can match the label to how the product is actually scanned. The rule of thumb: use the retail standard when you have a real GTIN, and Code 128 for everything internal.
Where to go next
The details that make labels scan reliably live in the printer and stock you use. Start from the guide that matches your setup:
- Thermal roll on a DYMO LabelWriter: DYMO 30334 setup
- Thermal roll on a Zebra printer: Zebra printer setup
- Sheet labels on a regular printer: Avery 5160 template
- Round or circular stock: round / circle labels
- Deciding between Shopify's own app and a dedicated one: the Shopify native app compared
Printing barcode labels from Shopify comes down to a few decisions made once: the app that gives you the sizes and preview you need, the printer that fits your volume, and the barcode type that matches how your products are scanned. Get those settled, confirm one label scans cleanly, and every future run is a short, repeatable job you can do the moment stock arrives.