print postage from home - help

for those of you that print your own USPS shipping labels. How do you do this?
I currently don't have a desk top printer (Lazer jet, ink jet, etc), no need for one.
is that the only way to print postage? What options are there.

what is your printing method?

As a proud member of the senior services I cannot fathom not having a printer. Old school until the end.
Anyway, you can plain paper print at a Fedex store for about 70 cents or so, I believe, but by the time you travel there and do it, or sent it in online and then retrieve it, all your postage savings are gone.
So I figure it's get a cheap printer (plus you'll want a cheap postal meter - Walmart, Amazon) or keep using the USPS services.
I may be overlooking some magical way to get a label made from an online postage discounter and, if so, please advise me as well as Shawn.

As for my method of saving money on postage, I use Pirate Ship for discounted packages - typically bubble mailers - but have used for Xmas boxes as well. I have a Dymo postal meter that remains from my business days to check on weight which is a necessary component of cost (along with mailer/box dimensions).
But I also use the meter to check on weight on my rigid mailers (nonmachineable stamp is for 1 oz or less, up to 2 oz required 2 regular stamps, have not encounted any pwe type trades that weighed more than 2 oz). Pirate Ship will store info on people you mail to so it saves a good deal of time if you have repeat mailings - like I do with you - and then I print right to my Epson eco smart printer. Cut the printout down to appropriate size as required, use my packing tape to afix it and I'm done. Probably takes less that 10 minutes or less total time for the entire process. Even though USPS keeps raising prices I figure I have saved about $2.50 or more each bubble mailer and more on the boxes I have sent.

hmmmmm, I loosely looked online and see those Bluetooth printers that print these labels. which is fine. but I haven't looked into whether any of this has a "subscription" that the world likes to charge right now, in order to use it. I see what I pay going to the post office, but that is all I have to go off of. I rarely ever ship anything other than bubble mailers and PWE baseball card trades. but this would certainly save me from having to go the post office each time. especially if I run out of non machinable stamps.

crankbait09 said:

for those of you that print your own USPS shipping labels. How do you do this?
I currently don't have a desk top printer (Lazer jet, ink jet, etc), no need for one.
is that the only way to print postage? What options are there.

what is your printing method?

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I have two label printers. One that specifically does 4x6 labels and a 2x7 printer (that they've discontinued using on paypal, and now is strictly good for ebay labels)
Otherwise, I have a standard laser printer that prints labels on 8x11 paper that I fold and put in pouches that are free from fedex or ups.

I did not even think of those small portable printers like the thermal label printers. But from what I can ascertain they cost about as much as a cheap printer, require thermal paper instead of plain paper and is limited to the label size prints. For me that is too restrictive in use but if you truly have an othewise print free life then it would make a lot of sense for you. Amazon has these label printer for as low as $45 and also postal meters for about $20. You would probably recover those costs in about 20 bubble mailer mailings.

that's what i was thinking too. hopefully someone can chime in about their experience with those thermal printers.
if i have to print anything like "normal people", i do it from work. (no need for printer, ink, paper, toner, etc here at the house.)

Big fan of the Dymos. And you can get the labels from the secondary market for super cheap compared to the dymo branded ones.

What are you using to print a postage label (website)?

crankbait09 said:

What are you using to print a postage label (website)?

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PayPal itself. They have shipstation integrated without having to use it now. It's as cheap as you can get it.

PayPal multi-order shipping if you have a PayPal account.......

with me never doing it before or seeing it done, i may be overthinking.
i have a bubble mailer or non machinable pwe.....how do you select postage accordingly since it's not a "box/package" and weight doesn't exactly apply?

crankbait09 said:

with me never doing it before or seeing it done, i may be overthinking.
i have a bubble mailer or non machinable pwe.....how do you select postage accordingly since it's not a "box/package" and weight doesn't exactly apply?

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You can only use paypal shipping for parcels like padded mailers, boxes, etc 'box/package' . You cannot use it to ship PWEs, etc.

There was another thread about this somewhere, will try to find it when I get back home later tonight. But if I remember, there was an online postage site by the name of Pirate shipping, or something like that.

i've heard of that too.

Carlton mentioned Pirate ship too........The type package I use is custom, then add W x L x H which is typically 6 x 9 x 1 and the weight is usually under 5 oz............

There is a pull down option in Pirate Ship for type mailing - box vs padded mailer and so on. The box requires height/width/depth but the padded mailers only require height/width. You do have to know weight, though, and that's why a postal meter is needed.

I have a digital food scale, i'd assume that would work just as well?

I still use a cheap counter weighted clip..........My wife calls it a dope scale.......

crankbait09 said:

I have a digital food scale, i'd assume that would work just as well?

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Anything that weighs ounces should work fine for card mailings.

I use pirateship...very easy...no monthly fee...Avery Internet shipping labels #8126...u can buy at staples...an eleven pound postage meter (you can also buy at staples for about $20)...I have a HP color laser jet pro MFP M283fdw that I bought at best buy before I retired (about $435)...doing the math I save about $2 to $3 off the USPS in office rate per bubble mailer trade...(forget the cost of gas, time and effort)...even 10 trades a month it pays for itself in short order, and you dont have to get anywhere as nice a printer as I have, although the last one I bought like this lasted 10 years...your time is worth something too!