What Does 'Printer Required' Mean on Royal Mail? (Explained)

If you’ve ever tried to sell something on eBay or Vinted and hit that “printer required” message when buying postage, you know the frustration. You’ve packaged the item, weighed it, picked a service — and then Royal Mail tells you that you need a printer. Which you either don’t own or haven’t turned on since 2019.

I sell bits and pieces online regularly, so I’ve dealt with this hundreds of times. Here’s everything you need to know about what “printer required” actually means, which services need it, what to do if you haven’t got a printer, and what type works best if you want to sort this out permanently.

What Does “Printer Required” Mean?

Dead simple: it means you need to print a shipping label at home and stick it on your parcel before posting. After buying postage online, you get a PDF file with your shipping label. Print it, attach it to the parcel, and either drop it at a Post Office or arrange a collection.

The label has everything Royal Mail needs: the recipient’s address, your return address, a tracking barcode, the service type, and a unique reference number. It replaces the handwritten address and stamps you’d use if posting at the counter the old-fashioned way.

Which Royal Mail Services Require a Printer?

Services That Always Require a Printer

These are “print at home” only — no way around it:

• Royal Mail Click & Drop (Tracked 24/48) — The main online postage platform. All labels must be printed.
• Royal Mail Tracked Returns — Return labels sent to customers have to be printed by the recipient.
• Parcelforce services booked online — All online-booked Parcelforce collections and drop-offs need printed labels.
• Royal Mail Business accounts — Bulk posting always uses printed labels.

Services That Have Alternatives

• Royal Mail 1st/2nd Class parcels — Can be posted at the counter with stamps (no printer needed) or via Click & Drop (printer required). Counter posting is more expensive though — you don’t get the online discount.
• Special Delivery Guaranteed — Available at the counter or via Click & Drop. Counter posting uses a handwritten form; Click & Drop needs a printed label.
• Signed For — Same deal — counter or Click & Drop.

Courier Comparison Sites

When you buy postage through Parcel2Go, ParcelHero, or Interparcel, virtually everything requires a printed label. The “printer required” tag is their way of warning you before you pay. I’ve seen people buy postage on Parcel2Go and then realise they’ve got no way to print the label. Don’t be that person.

The QR Code Alternative (No Printer Needed)

Royal Mail introduced a QR code option specifically for people without printers. Proper lifesaver if you’re sending the odd parcel.

How to Use the Royal Mail QR Code Service

1. Buy postage through the Royal Mail app or website
2. Select “QR code” instead of “print label” during checkout (where available)
3. Receive a QR code via email or in the Royal Mail app
4. Take your parcel to a Post Office — has to be an actual Post Office branch, not a post box
5. Show the QR code to the counter staff or scan it at the self-service kiosk
6. They print the label and attach it to your parcel for you

Limitations of the QR Code Option

• Not available for everything — Some Click & Drop services still require a printed label. QR codes are mainly for standard Tracked 24 and Tracked 48.
• You must go to a Post Office — Can’t use a post box or parcel drop-off point. Need a staffed branch.
• You’ll probably queue — Unlike printing at home and doing a quick drop-off, you’ll need to wait for a counter assistant or kiosk. My local Post Office has a 15-minute queue on a good day. Saturday morning? Forget it.
• Royal Mail only — QR codes don’t work for Parcelforce or third-party couriers booked through comparison sites.

Despite the faff, the QR code option is brilliant for occasional senders who don’t own a printer.

Other Ways to Post Without a Printer

Post Office Counter

The traditional method: rock up to the Post Office, tell the counter assistant where the parcel’s going, pick a service, and pay. They handle everything. No printer, no app, no technology whatsoever.

Pros: No technology needed. Staff do everything. You can choose your service in person. Cons: Pricier than online postage (you miss the online discount). Queue times can be horrendous. Limited to Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

Evri (Formerly Hermes) — No Printer Needed

Evri offers a printerless option for all domestic parcels. Buy postage online or through the app, get a QR code, and drop the parcel at an Evri ParcelShop — usually a local newsagent or corner shop. They scan your QR code and that’s it.

This is massively popular with Vinted sellers, since Vinted’s integrated shipping uses Evri printerless labels by default. If you sell on Vinted, you’ve probably done this already without even thinking about it.

DPD Drop Off

DPD’s Pickup service works similarly — create a shipment online, get a QR code, drop the parcel at a DPD Pickup point (often inside Sainsbury’s, Matalan, or Halfords). Scan the code at the terminal and the label prints on-site. Proper easy.

InPost Lockers

InPost lockers generate labels at the locker itself. Book online, get a code, go to the locker, scan the code, grab the label from the printer, slap it on, shove the parcel inside. The whole process takes about 90 seconds. I use InPost for most of my returns now — it’s brilliant.

What Type of Printer Do You Need?

If you do want to print labels at home (and honestly, if you sell more than a couple of things a month, you should), almost any printer works:

Standard Home Printer (Inkjet or Laser)

Any inkjet or laser printer that handles A4 paper can print Royal Mail labels. The label PDF is formatted for A4 — print it, cut along the dotted lines, tape it to the parcel. If you don’t print often and need something reliable, see our guide to the best printer for infrequent use. A mono laser is ideal here because toner won’t dry out between parcels — you might sell three things in one week then nothing for a month, and the printer still works.

Tips for printing on a regular printer:

• Print at 100% scale — never use “fit to page” as it shrinks the barcode and scanners can’t read it. I learned this the hard way when Royal Mail returned a parcel because the barcode was too small.
• Plain A4 paper is fine. No need for label paper.
• Black and white works perfectly — colour isn’t needed.
• Tape the label firmly using clear packing tape, covering the entire label. This protects it from rain. British weather being what it is, this isn’t optional.

Thermal Label Printer

If you sell regularly — I’d say 10+ items per month — a thermal label printer is a proper upgrade. These produce 4x6 inch self-adhesive labels. Peel off the backing, stick it on the parcel. No cutting, no tape, no messing about. Takes about 5 seconds per label.

Thermal printers work with Royal Mail Click & Drop, eBay, Amazon, Vinted, and every major courier platform. You’ll need to change the print settings to 4x6 (100x150mm) paper size.

Popular options include the Rollo USB Shipping Label Printer, DYMO LabelWriter 4XL, and Brother QL-1110NWB. For detailed recommendations, see our guide to the best label printers for eBay sellers.

The downside? They cost £100-200 upfront, and the labels cost about 3-5p each. But if you’re shipping 20+ parcels a month, the time savings alone make it worthwhile.

Label Paper for Regular Printers

If you want a middle ground between cutting up A4 sheets and buying a thermal printer, you can get A4 sheets pre-cut with adhesive labels. Load them into your regular printer and they produce self-adhesive labels — peel and stick, no cutting or tape. Avery and Herma both make sheets with a single 4x6 label per A4 sheet, specifically for shipping labels. About £10-15 for 100 labels on Amazon UK.

Step-by-Step: Printing a Royal Mail Click & Drop Label

Here’s the full process — it’s straightforward once you’ve done it once:

Step 1: Create Your Shipment

1. Go to parcel.royalmail.com and log in (or create a free account)
2. Click “Create Shipment” or import orders from eBay/Amazon
3. Enter the recipient’s address and parcel dimensions/weight
4. Choose your service (Tracked 24, Tracked 48, etc.)

Step 2: Pay and Download

1. Add the shipment to your basket
2. Pay by credit/debit card or PayPal
3. The label PDF generates immediately
4. Download the PDF file

Step 3: Print the Label

1. Open the PDF in your browser or PDF reader
2. Select Print and choose your printer
3. Critical: Set scaling to 100% or “Actual Size” — never “Fit to Page.” This catches people out constantly.
4. Print on A4 paper (or 4x6 label paper if you’re using a thermal printer)

Step 4: Attach the Label

• If using A4 paper: cut along the dotted lines and tape securely using clear packing tape. Cover the whole label so rain can’t smudge it.
• If using a thermal label printer: peel and stick on the largest flat surface of the parcel.
• Make sure the barcode is smooth and undamaged — wrinkled or obscured barcodes cause scanning failures and delays.

Step 5: Post the Parcel

• Drop off: Take the labelled parcel to any Post Office. If it’s clearly labelled, you often don’t even need to queue — just hand it over at the counter or use the parcel drop-off area.
• Collection: If you booked a collection, leave the parcel somewhere safe for the postie.

Common Questions and Issues

”My label barcode won’t scan”

This almost always means the label was printed too small (you used “fit to page” instead of 100% scale) or the barcode is wrinkled or damaged. Reprint at 100% scale on a fresh sheet and reattach. Takes two minutes but saves you a returned parcel.

”Can I reuse a printed label?”

No. Each label has a unique barcode and tracking number. If a label is damaged or unused, void it through Click & Drop and create a new one. You can usually get a refund for unused labels.

”The label is for A4 but my printer only does A5”

Click & Drop labels are formatted for A4. If your printer can’t handle A4, use the QR code option instead, or find a computer connected to a full-size printer — a mate’s house, the library, wherever.

”Do I need a colour printer?”

No. Black and white is perfectly fine. The barcode, text, and address information are all in black. Save your colour ink for something else.

The Verdict

“Printer required” just means you need to print a shipping label at home before posting. If you’re a casual seller sending the odd parcel, the QR code option in the Royal Mail app or Evri’s printerless service will do the job without a printer.

If you sell regularly, even a cheap mono laser printer (about £100-130 from Currys or Amazon) will handle labels perfectly and won’t dry out between uses. And if you’re shipping 10+ parcels a month, a thermal label printer is a game-changer — five seconds per label, no cutting, no tape.

The single most important thing to remember: print labels at 100% scale. Not “fit to page.” 100%. Get that right and everything else is straightforward.