The holidays are upon us.  Here are links to the the holiday schedules surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s for these carriers:

USPS

FedEx (*Burris orders ship via this carrier)

UPS

Q:  I need help printing shipping labels for UPS.  To use these labels for UPS, I have to trim about 1″ off of the receipt side of the form to get the online UPS program to print within the peel off section.

A:  If you are using our Peel Out! Shipping Label Sheets ™  LS-U:

Have you tried only printing the label (not the instructions)?

Remove the ”check”  in the “Print label instructions” section.

Then, the “label section” prints onto the label perfectly, with no need for cutting.

Effective Jan. 3, 2011

• FedEx Express package and freight rates will increase an average of 5.9% for U.S. and U.S. export services. The rate increase will be partially offset by adjusting the fuel price at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by 2 percentage points.
• FedEx Express U.S. import rates will change.
• FedEx Express U.S. rates to Puerto Rico will change.
• FedEx International Premium^® rates will change.
• Preview 2011 FedEx Express rates.
• There will be changes to FedEx International Priority^® and FedEx International Economy^® minimum rates.

Read our suggestions for reducing your shipping costs, even when carriers increase rates.

FedEx

Q:  We use Zen Cart and found the .php file you offer that formats a packing slip to fit Burris Computer Forms Peel Out! Shipping Label Sheets™ layouts LS-A and LS-A4.  Can you send me samples of those forms? Sounds like it might be a good solution for us.

A:  Our Zen Cart packing slip template will fit on Peel Out! Shipping Label Sheets™ layouts LS-A, LS-A with perforation and LS-A4 with perforation, using the  Zen Cart shopping cart. The printout will allow you to have a return address and shipping address printed on a packing slip with a peel-off label ready for your package.  The template was created using Zen Cart version 1.3.5.  You may request free samples.

Beginning January 3, 2011, UPS Ground services will increase a net 4.9% through a combination of a 5.9% increase in rates and a 1% reduction in the UPS Ground services fuel surcharge.
UPS Air and International services will increase a net 4.9% through a combination of a 6.9% increase in rates and a 2% reduction in the UPS Air and International services fuel surcharge.

Read our suggestions for reducing your shipping costs, even when carriers increase rates.

UPS

In general, shippers can minimize shipping costs by asking for a volume discount from their carrier, verifying the shipping address with the carrier before sending the package, and by selecting the least expensive service for the time constraints of the shipment. Investigate a few possibilities with these popular delivery services*:

United States Postal Service (USPS)

• utilize Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes to control cost and minimize transit time
• consider Global Express for cost-effective package shipping to international customers
• receive up to a 10% discount when paying for international shipments online

Federal Express (FedEx)

• ask for a discount based on your memberships (i.e. USAA and Google Sellers) and/or American Express credit card usage
• consider Ground for reliable, lower-cost shipping (see service map)
• use the correct service (Ground vs. Home Delivery) to avoid residential surcharges
• save up to 15% when printing Express labels online
• receive up to a 15% discount when you open a new FedEx account

United Parcel Service (UPS)

• ask for a discount based on your memberships (i.e. Ebay)
• use the correct service (Commercial vs. Residential) to avoid residential surcharges
• consider using UPS Mail Innovations to improve cost and transit time for high volume shipping

*The information listed is for information purposes only and should be independently verified with each source.

Print Professional Magazine shares some great tips to minimize mailing and shipping costs under the USPS’ shape-based rate system.  See more tips for thinking creatively, packing efficiently,  and designing economically.

Here are some suggestions to minimize the transit time and cost of international shipments:

• Compare rates between carriers
• Utilize USPS flat rate boxes
• Verify that the package contents are not prohibited in the destination country with the carrier
• Complete the appropriate import/export documentation (ask your carrier)
• Use suitable packing material (ask your carrier)

Q:  The shipping label sheets forms I ordered don’t feed properly. I have tried them either direction. The text that is supposed to print in the peel off section is never where they it’s supposed to be.  My printer has always printed in the proper position on regular paper. Any suggestions?

A:  This type of problem usually occurs because of the settings on your printer.

You need to check the “media type” under “preferences” on your printer, specifically to see what paper types your printer will handle.

For instance, my inkjet printer has a setting that says “plain” paper and another setting that says “thick plain” paper.

The thick plain paper is what I have to set my printer to in order for the sheets to “feed” properly.  Setting your printer to print on a heavier paper should do the trick!

In this economy, you can’t afford to process fewer orders. But, you can process your orders more efficiently. With shipping label sheets, you print your packing slip or invoice on the same sheet as your shipping & return labels. We have over 27 layouts that are compatible with USPS® Click-N-Ship, UPS®, FedEx®, QuickBooks®, PayPal® as well as Amazon.com® and eBay®. No more matching a packing slip with a separate shipping label. Our Peel Out! Shipping Label Sheets™ can be used as shipping labels, packing slips, invoices with built-in shipping labels, media labels, mailing labels and letters, address labels, half-sheet labels, jar labels, or name badge labels with instruction letter. These label sheets are guaranteed to run smoothly through inkjet, desktop, copiers & high speed laser printers. We use premium paper stock and adhesive. Print orders and labels faster, and fill your orders faster and more accurately.