b2KIT

Shipping Label Creator

Design shipping labels with sender/recipient addresses, tracking numbers, and barcodes for printing.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Shipping Label Creator does, with a checked example

A shipping label is a document that scanners read as much as people do: two address blocks, a tracking number, and a barcode that must decode on the first pass. This tool arranges those parts on a printable label and renders the tracking number as a Code 128 barcode, computing the check character for you. What surprises most people is what it does not do: it never contacts a carrier. It will not create a tracking number, validate one, or book a shipment. The number you type is the number that prints, and the barcode is only as trustworthy as the characters you entered.

Worked example

A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.

Input

Tracking number 123456789012 (12 digits, no separators)

Expected output

A printable label whose Code 128 barcode encodes 123456789012 with check character 8; the human-readable line under the bars reads 123456789012

Code 128 appends a mod-103 check character so scanners can reject misreads: in Code Set B the start value is 104 and each digit's value is its ASCII code minus 32. The check value is (start + weighted sum) mod 103: the weighted sum for 123456789012 is 1568, adding the 104 start gives 1672, and 1672 mod 103 = 24, the character 8.

How the result is produced

1

Label layout

Sender and recipient addresses are entered in form fields and placed in the zones a carrier looks for: return address at the top, delivery address in the main block, tracking number and barcode below. Text wraps within each block, and the finished label is composed at the tool's target label dimensions so it prints on standard label stock without further formatting.

2

Barcode encoding

The tracking number is encoded as a Code 128 symbol, the symbology carriers use for tracking labels: each character maps to a bar pattern, a mod-103 check character is computed from the data and appended, and the digits are printed under the bars as the human-readable line. The check character lets a scanner reject misreads; the tool computes it so you do not have to.

Good uses

  • Reprinting a label for a package already booked with a carrier: paste in the tracking number you were issued, and the barcode scans back to that package's real status.
  • Producing a return label for a customer who has no printer: take the number from your return authorization, fill in their address, and print a legible label instead of handwriting one.
  • Uniform labeling for internal transfers (samples, equipment, mail between offices) where no carrier is involved and the reference numbers are your own.

Limits and checks

  • Nothing is registered: the tool encodes exactly the string you type and never contacts a carrier. A typo or a made-up number still produces a perfectly scannable barcode, and that barcode will return no tracking data anywhere.
  • Print size controls whether it scans: browsers scale pages to fit, so a label printed on the wrong stock or with fit-to-page shrinks the barcode below what carrier scanners expect. Print at 100 percent on the label size the tool is laid out for, then scan the result with a phone before trusting it.
  • Separators become data: spaces or hyphens in the tracking number are encoded into the bars as-is. Carrier equipment expects a clean run of digits, so enter the number exactly as issued, with no grouping marks.

Common questions

If I type any number, will the barcode scan at the post office?

A scanner will read the barcode, because it is a valid Code 128 symbol. Whether the post office can act on it is another question: only numbers registered with a carrier (from a purchased label or a booked shipment) resolve to a package. The tool creates no tracking record, so a number it did not receive from a carrier is a dead end.

Can I print these on a regular inkjet printer, or do I need a thermal label printer?

Any printer can print it, but the barcode must come out at full size, sharp, and dark on white. Thermal printers are common because they match standard label stock; on a normal printer, disable fit-to-page and scaling, print at 100 percent, and scan-test the result, since ink smearing or resizing makes the bars unreadable.

References and verification

The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

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