How to Print Mailing Labels and Postage Online

by Tina Gasperson

With all the things you can do with a computer and an Internet connection, going out to the post office seems an old-fashioned but necessary excursion into the “real world” to take care of business. It’s possible now to pay most of your bills online, so mailing letters with a stamp is almost a thing of the past. The only time a trip to the post office is necessary is when you have a package or large envelope to mail – and woe to you if you don’t have all the supplies necessary to get your package ready. Boxes, big envelopes, packing material, and the all-important sticky mailing labels – because after all, who wants to handwrite an address when the printer is right there, ready to do your bidding?

It is true there are even ways to pay for and print your postage and your mailing label online, so that it now becomes possible to prepare your package for mailing in the comfort of your own home (provided you have those all-important supplies and a scale), place it in your own mailbox for the postal carrier to take, or even schedule a special pickup. No trip to the post office required. Just visit the post office online, at USPS.com. From there, you can print Priority or Express Mail postage in combination with a mailing label, buy insurance, fill out a customs form, order supplies (including scales), calculate postage, just to name a few things. Even better, when you buy and print postage online, you get a discount from what you’d regularly pay.

Another way to print postage online is available if you have a PayPal account. Make sure you’re logged into your account and go to the Create Your Shipping Label page. Your return address information will be on the left side of the screen. Fill in the name and address you want to ship to on the right side. Choose Priority Mail, First Class, Express, Media Mail, or Parcel Post. Enter the size and weight of the package and the mailing date, pay for the postage from your PayPal account balance, and print your label. With PayPal you can even ship via UPS – just select “choose a different carrier” on the main label creation screen.

Now if I could only get my dental work done online, I would be truly happy.

Tina Gasperson (tinahdee@gmail.com), affectionately known as Computer Lady by her family, has been writing about IT, home computing, and the Internet for more than a decade.