Can You Reprint a USPS Shipping Label?

Imagine this situation: you purchased a USPS shipping label online and printed it, but it came out smudged. Or maybe it got torn while you were attaching it to the package. Or perhaps you misplaced it while preparing the package. Can you simply reprint the label, or are there additional steps you should take? Let’s figure out whether you can reprint a USPS shipping label.

Whether you use USPS Click-N-Ship or a third-party service like PostageMaker to generate a shipping label online, information about your package is stored in the USPS system. It includes the sender’s and recipient’s information, service class, postage amount, etc. This information is tied to the package’s tracking number and barcode.

A printed shipping label is simply a physical representation of this information. Printing a new copy will not change the tracking number, postage amount, destination address, service class, or barcode. You will not be required to pay postage a second time. In fact, it is generally advised to print at least two copies of a shipping label and put one inside the box as a backup in case something happens to the label on the package.

Regardless of whether you purchased your shipping label through USPS Click-N-Ship or a third-party service, your shipping labels are usually stored in your account. So all you need to do to reprint a label is locate the shipment in your shipment or order history and click “Print Again” or “Reprint”. If you saved the label as a PDF after purchasing it, you can simply reprint the PDF file.

However, there are several things you should know about reprinting shipping labels. First, USPS labels have an expiration date. Once you purchase a label, you have 28–30 days to use it; otherwise, it will expire. Reprinting a shipping label will not extend its expiration date. If you reprint the label after it expires, it will be invalid.

Once the original shipping label has been scanned into the USPS system, you cannot use a copy of it for a different shipment. There can only be one package with the same tracking number in the system at a time. However, you may still be able to print a copy of the shipping label for other purposes, such as filing a shipping insurance claim.

As mentioned above, reprinting a shipping label does not alter any of the information about the package that you entered when generating the label. It simply creates an identical copy of an existing label. Therefore, if you need to edit the label, reprinting it will not help. You also cannot edit an existing shipping label online and reprint it because once information about a package is in the USPS system, it cannot be altered.

Writing new information on the physical copy of the label won’t work either because, as mentioned, a printed label is merely a physical representation of the information in the USPS system. During transit, packages are processed by scanning the barcode manually or automatically and using the information in the system, not on the physical label.

This means that if you need to change any information about the shipment, you should void the original label. Then, generate a new label with the correct information. This new label will have a different tracking number and barcode. Finally, print the new label. Once voided, the old label will become invalid. Although you may be able to reprint the old label from a PDF file, it will be impossible to use it for shipping.

So, to sum up: in most cases, you can reprint a USPS shipping label as many times as needed without paying postage again because the label information is stored in the USPS system and linked to a unique tracking number and barcode. Reprinting simply produces another copy of the same label and does not change any shipment details or extend the label’s validity period.

However, expired labels remain invalid, even if reprinted. Additionally, a label that has already been used for one shipment cannot be reprinted and reused for another package. If you need to edit any shipment information, you must void the original label and purchase a new one because existing USPS shipping labels cannot be edited after purchase.