How to ship a package without a printer.

You've bought a shipping label and there's no printer in the house. For USPS, you don't need one. USPS has a feature called Label Broker: instead of a label to print, you get a QR code. You show it at a Post Office, and the label is printed there.

How Label Broker works

1. Buy the label and pick the QR code option. Whoever sells you the label (USPS Click-N-Ship, a store sending a return label, or a shipping app) gives you a QR code and an 8–10 character Label Broker ID.
2. Pack and seal the package. It has to be ready to ship when you get there.
3. Go to a Post Office with Label Broker. Show the QR code on your phone at the counter, or scan it yourself at a self-service kiosk if the location has one.
4. The label is printed and goes on the package right there.

The QR code and the ID each work on their own; you don't need both. If the email with the QR code is missing, check your spam folder, or use the 8–10 character ID instead.

Where it works

USPS says most automated Post Office locations have Label Broker printers. To check one before you go:

1. On usps.com, open Find USPS Locations.
2. Enter your city and state or ZIP Code, and choose Post Office as the location type.
3. Open Filter > Mailing Services and check Label Broker Retail (at the counter) or Label Broker Self-Service (kiosk).

What to know before you go

• Printing at the Post Office is free. You've already paid for the postage when you bought the label.
• The label stays at the Post Office. USPS designs Label Broker labels to be attached to the package at the counter, so you can't print one and take it home.
• No add-ons at the counter. USPS doesn't let you add extra services to a Label Broker label, so choose everything you need when you buy the label.
• Plan on a trip. Because the label is printed at the counter, a QR code label means a visit to the Post Office rather than a carrier pickup from your door.
• It's a USPS feature. In Muvo, QR codes are for USPS labels only.

Other ways to ship without your own printer

• USPS Label Delivery: on Click-N-Ship, USPS can print an outbound label and have your letter carrier deliver it to you, for an extra fee per label. It isn't instant, so it works best when you aren't in a hurry.
• Print somewhere else: many shipping tools can make labels on regular 8.5 × 11 inch paper, so a library or print shop printer works. Trim the label and tape it flat to the box.
• Get a label printer: if you ship every day, a thermal label printer saves time and paper. See 4×6 thermal labels, explained.

Shipping without a printer in Muvo

When you print a batch in Muvo, choose USPS QR codes instead of 4×6 thermal or 8.5 × 11 paper. Muvo buys every label and gives you one QR code per USPS label, each marked with the order it belongs to. Open them on your phone at the Post Office and the clerk prints each label.

The file stays in Orders, under Printed, so you can open it again at the counter. When you buy a printer later, switch the format and keep going.

Muvo has no monthly fee on the Free plan. See pricing for the label fee and what Pro adds, or create a free account and connect your store.

Sources: USPS, Label Broker & Label Delivery Service; USPS FAQs, Label Broker feature. USPS rules can change, so check usps.com before you rely on a detail.