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Most shipping software has a batch or multi-order print action: you select the packed orders, generate their labels in one pass, and print the whole run. The discipline that makes bulk printing work is packing first, printing after. Print labels for unpacked orders and your weights, box sizes, and label data stop matching reality.
The rhythm is the same whether you ship five parcels or five hundred. Pack every parcel in the batch first: box it, weigh it, and set the box and label details down next to the order. Then, in your shipping software, select the packed orders, verify the service level and weights in the batch review screen, generate the labels, and print. Labels come out matched to parcels that already exist, so there is nothing to guess about.
One habit separates smooth batch runs from messy ones: group the batch before you print. Sort by service level first, then by box size. That way the printer settings stay constant through the run, and you are not switching between thermal and paper formats or between label sizes mid-batch. A sorted batch also makes the packing-to-label matching obvious, because similar parcels sit together.
Because the label locks in the shipment's facts: weight, dimensions, service, and destination. If you print labels first and pack later, every one of those facts is a guess. A box that turns out heavier than the label says can trigger postage-due adjustments; a box that turns out bigger can trigger dimensional-weight charges. Printing after packing means the label describes a real parcel, not a plan.
There is a subtler version of the same problem: reusing weights from a product catalog. Catalog weights are usually the item weight, not the packed-parcel weight, and they miss the box, cushioning, and tape. In a batch run, those small differences multiply across every label. A scale on the packing bench pays for itself in avoided adjustments.
Three checkpoints catch most of them. First, use the batch review screen before generating: scan down the list of addresses and weights, because the review screen is the last place a typo is cheap to fix. Second, hold back problem orders instead of forcing them through: if one parcel in a batch of forty needs a different service or has an address flag, generate it separately rather than re-running the whole batch for one exception.
Third, print a single test label before the full run whenever you have changed anything: new printer, new label stock, new paper size. Alignment drift on the first label of a run is common, and catching it on one label costs almost nothing. Catching it on forty costs the whole batch.
Many carriers offer an end-of-day or "scan" form: one barcode that represents every parcel in the batch. When you hand over the parcels, the driver scans the single manifest barcode instead of each individual label. This is worth doing for two reasons. It speeds up the pickup or drop-off, and it creates a single acceptance record: proof that the carrier took custody of every parcel in the batch.
| Batch step | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Pack everything first | Weight and dimension guesses on labels |
| Sort by service and box size | Printer-setting churn and mismatched labels |
| Review the batch screen | Address and weight typos that are expensive to fix later |
| Hold back exceptions | Re-running clean batches for one odd parcel |
| Close with a manifest | Missing acceptance scans and stuck tracking |
The manifest also solves one of the most confusing tracking problems: parcels whose first scan never appears because the driver scanned labels individually and missed one. With a manifest, acceptance is recorded for the whole batch at once. If you ship in volume and are not closing a manifest, start.
LetterAgent's shipping labels are Canada Post Xpresspost labels, Canada-only, for parcels up to 5 kilograms. The flow is per label: you get a quote, approve the exact price, pay once through Stripe, and get your label PDF. For a handful of parcels that works fine. For true batch volume, a dedicated shipping platform with batch print actions and manifest closing is the better tool; LetterAgent is the simple route for individual labels, not a batch shipping system.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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