Does anyone print their own shipping labels?

[Fred]

Hi.

Sorry, but I don't know where else to ask. I wrote a access shipping
database and we currently use the web interface for DHL to print shipping
labels. That means we have to manualy transpose shipto info to the DHL web
interface to print the 8 x 11 labels. We ship between 0 and 20 packages a
day.

If I get DHL pinfeed DHL shipping labels and a matrix printer, can I just
print the labels directly from my database instead of dealing with the DHL
web interface? I talked to the DHL pickup person and he said they tear off
the back copy for us at pick up for our receipt. I have a bar code reader
and as long as I get the tracking number from the label back into the
database, I should be all set?

It would save LOTS of time and LESS ERRORS to simply press a button and have
my software print the labels on preloaded matrix printer.

Anyone else doing this? Any issues or tips? Does DHL have any restrictions?
I called DHL and all I get is customer service who does not have a clue.

Thanks.

[Tony Toews]

"Fred" <fg***************@yahoo.com> wrote:

Sorry, but I don't know where else to ask. I wrote a access shipping
database and we currently use the web interface for DHL to print shipping
labels. That means we have to manualy transpose shipto info to the DHL web
interface to print the 8 x 11 labels. We ship between 0 and 20 packages a
day.

If I get DHL pinfeed DHL shipping labels and a matrix printer, can I just
print the labels directly from my database instead of dealing with the DHL
web interface?
So the only barcode is preprinted? Then sure, why not? I'm sure there are
thousands of outfits doing exactly that. After all by definition if DHL are going to
give you pinfeed shipping labels then they are indeed designed for dot matrix
printers for the customer to use.
I talked to the DHL pickup person and he said they tear off
the back copy for us at pick up for our receipt. I have a bar code reader
and as long as I get the tracking number from the label back into the
database, I should be all set?
If the tracking numbers are sequential you may just need to increment it by one each
time you print. Along with some logic to allow you to change the next available
number and to renumber some table where the shipping personnel didn't realize the
label didn't exactly match the computer.
Anyone else doing this? Any issues or tips? Does DHL have any restrictions?
I called DHL and all I get is customer service who does not have a clue.

Go for it. Just make sure the shipping folks have lots of spare ribbons. Never let
them get too faded.

Oh, and Okidata are the standard heavy duty dot matrix printer mfr. I dunno if you
can even get anything different these days.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

[Fred]

Thanks,

I found an old NEC pinwriter P9X to test with! Thanks. We lease small
equipment short term and include a return waybill shipping label that is the
pinfeed type which dhl supplied with our address as the "to" address. We
have to manual write in the leasers address as the from address so they can
use it to return our equipment. I'll test with these and go from there...
Thanks for some feedback.

Fred
"Tony Toews" <tt****@telusplanet.net> wrote in message
news:a4********************************@4ax.com...

"Fred" <fg***************@yahoo.com> wrote:

Sorry, but I don't know where else to ask. I wrote a access shipping
database and we currently use the web interface for DHL to print shipping
labels. That means we have to manualy transpose shipto info to the DHL webinterface to print the 8 x 11 labels. We ship between 0 and 20 packages a
day.

If I get DHL pinfeed DHL shipping labels and a matrix printer, can I just
print the labels directly from my database instead of dealing with the DHLweb interface?
So the only barcode is preprinted? Then sure, why not? I'm sure there

are thousands of outfits doing exactly that. After all by definition if DHL are going to give you pinfeed shipping labels then they are indeed designed for dot matrix printers for the customer to use.

I talked to the DHL pickup person and he said they tear off
the back copy for us at pick up for our receipt. I have a bar code reader
and as long as I get the tracking number from the label back into the
database, I should be all set?
If the tracking numbers are sequential you may just need to increment it

by one each time you print. Along with some logic to allow you to change the next available number and to renumber some table where the shipping personnel didn't realize the label didn't exactly match the computer.

Anyone else doing this? Any issues or tips? Does DHL have any restrictions?I called DHL and all I get is customer service who does not have a clue.
Go for it. Just make sure the shipping folks have lots of spare ribbons.

Never let them get too faded.

Oh, and Okidata are the standard heavy duty dot matrix printer mfr. I dunno if you can even get anything different these days.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm