Small labels for shelf codes, bags and inventory bins.
Typical price
$5 to $10
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- $5 to $10
- Works with
Prints a SKU or a short note on a bag, a bin or a toploader sleeve. It needs a printer that accepts narrow rolls, so check the minimum label width before you buy.
Good for
- Coding bags, bins and shelves
- Card and clothing sellers with lots of inventory
Not for
- Shipping labels
Our approved alternative for the same job: 4 × 6 in thermal labels, 250 roll
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Who uses small thermal labels
Small labels suit you once you keep more inventory than you can remember: racks of tagged vintage clothing, boxes of graded slabs, or a storage-unit haul sorted into bins.
A 1,000 roll lasts a home seller a long time. Labeling twenty new items a day, you get around seven weeks of use, and bins and shelf codes barely dent it.
Label size, core and printer fit
Each label is 2.25 by 1.25 inches, big enough for a SKU, a short title and a barcode or QR code. See whether your printer software lists the size as a preset or lets you set a custom size.
Choose direct thermal labels, which need no ribbon, on the core size your printer takes. Many 4-inch shipping printers have an adjustable guide that closes in for narrow rolls, but the manual gives the minimum label width.
Permanent adhesive suits bins and boxes. Choose removable adhesive for anything you stick straight onto an item, a sleeve or a hang tag.
Setting up a SKU system
Pick a short code pattern, such as a letter for the shelf and a number for the bin, and print it once on the bin and again on each item inside. Put the same code in your listing's SKU field, so each sale shows you where to look.
Load the roll, run the printer's calibration so it finds the gaps, then print one test label. Adjust the darkness until barcodes scan cleanly from your phone.
Keep the roll away from heat and direct sun near your bench. Direct thermal labels darken in heat, so anything stored for months belongs in a cool closet.
Shipping-size labels, a narrow-roll printer or an app
4 × 6 in thermal labels, 250 roll, are the fallback and the size for shipping labels. You can print SKUs on them, though most of the label goes to waste.
4 × 6 in thermal labels, 500 fanfold, suit busy shipping days and feed from behind the printer. If your main printer won't take narrow stock, run this roll in a printer that does, such as the Phomemo thermal label printer.
Sortly can generate the codes and QR labels for you if you would rather manage inventory in an app.
About a penny a label, reprinted yearly
At $5 to $10 for 1,000, each label costs a cent or less, so you can label every item, bin and shelf without counting.
Direct thermal print fades over months, faster in sunlight. Reprint bin labels once a year or when a scan fails, and use a printed paper label for anything that must last for years.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- Close the printer's guides against the roll edges; without them a narrow roll wanders and prints off the label.
- Without gap calibration the printer splits codes across two labels. Run it each time you change size.
- Permanent labels leave residue on items and card sleeves, so buy removable adhesive for anything a buyer receives.
- Raise the darkness and test one label: barcodes printed too light won't scan on a phone.
- A hot attic or a sunny window fades the print on labeled inventory; keep it somewhere cool and shaded.
Ranked in
Where it places in our rankings, and the reason.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Questions
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Will a 2.25 × 1.25 in roll fit my shipping label printer?
Many 4-inch printers accept narrow rolls with adjustable guides, but some have a minimum label width. Your printer's manual lists its supported sizes.
Do I need ink or a ribbon?
No. These are direct thermal labels, so the printer's heated head darkens the coating. Ribbons are for thermal transfer stock.
Can I print shipping labels on these?
Carrier labels are designed for 4 × 6 in. Keep this roll for SKUs, bin labels and notes.
How long does the print last?
Months indoors, less in heat or sunlight. Reprint any code that fades or will not scan.
Can I stick these on clothing?
Put them on a hang tag or a bag. Labels stuck straight onto fabric can leave adhesive behind.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
4 × 6 in thermal labels, 250 roll
Put a roll on a holder or inside a printer with a roll bay to save space on a crowded desk. Each label costs about 3 to 6 cents, a little more than fanfold.
Typical price$8 to $14
See on Amazon4 × 6 in thermal labels, 500 fanfold
Fanfold stacks feed flat behind the printer and hold more labels than a roll. 4 × 6 in matches the label size USPS, UPS and the marketplaces print.
Typical price$8 to $16
See on Amazon