How to Print Transparency Labels: Printers, Sizes and Setup

By Todd Welch, founder of T-Code Manager. Published October 13, 2026.

Most brands and warehouses that print their own Transparency labels use a desktop thermal printer like a Zebra, Rollo or DYMO. Amazon's service provider page calls self-printing on label printers you already own the most popular starting point for small and medium businesses.

The printer is the easy part. Getting every label to come out the right size, scan cleanly and land on the right unit takes a few settings and a test. Here's how to set it up.

What you're printing

A Transparency code is a unique code printed as a small square 2D barcode. Every unit gets a different one. That means two things for printing:

You can't print a batch of identical labels like you would for an FNSKU. Every label in the run is different.
Every code that comes out of the printer is used up. A label that jams, smears or gets thrown away is a code you paid for.

If the label also carries an FNSKU barcode, that's a standard 1D barcode, and it's the same on every unit of the listing. See Transparency vs FNSKU labels for when you need both.

Label sizes

Amazon's public Transparency pages don't list a required label size. Labeling guidance, including placement, lives in your Transparency account. Read it before you buy label stock, because it gets updated.

In practice, these three sizes cover most products, and they're the three T-Code Manager prints:

1" x 1": the Transparency code with the ASIN printed under it. Small enough for tight packaging.
1.25" x 2.25": the Transparency code next to the FNSKU barcode, with the FNSKU and ASIN under the barcode and the product name below. A common DYMO size.
2" x 1": the same layout as the 1.25" x 2.25", scaled to a smaller label.

Pick the size that fits your packaging, leaves the product's own barcode visible and matches a roll your printer can feed.

Choosing a printer

Direct thermal or thermal transfer

Direct thermal printers use heat-sensitive labels and no ink or ribbon. Rollo and DYMO LabelWriter printers work this way. They're cheap to run, but direct thermal labels can fade over time with heat and sunlight.

Thermal transfer printers use a ribbon and last longer on the shelf. Zebra makes both kinds. If your units sit in a hot warehouse for months before they sell, a thermal transfer label is worth a look.

Resolution

A small 2D code has very fine detail. Many desktop label printers print at 203 dpi, and some models come in 300 dpi. If you print the 1" x 1" size all day, the higher resolution gives you a cleaner code with more room for error.

Label width

Before you buy rolls, check the printer's supported label widths. Printers built for 4" shipping labels don't always feed narrow rolls well. Buy one roll and test it before you buy a case.

Setting up the printer

The exact menus vary by model and operating system, so keep the manual handy. The goal is the same on every printer: the computer has to know the exact size of the label on the roll.

Zebra

Install Zebra's driver for your model.
In the driver's printing preferences, set the label width and height to match your roll exactly.
Set the media type to match your labels: direct thermal or thermal transfer.
Load the roll and run the printer's media calibration, so it finds the gap between labels. Do this again any time you change label sizes.
Adjust darkness if codes come out faint or bleed together.

Rollo

Install the Rollo driver.
Add a custom paper size that matches your labels in the driver settings.
Select that paper size when you print.
If labels start printing across the gap, reload the roll and let the printer find the gap again.

DYMO

Install DYMO's software and driver.
Load a roll in the size you print, such as 1.25" x 2.25".
Pick the matching label size in the print settings. DYMO's driver lists its label sizes in the paper size menu.

Print settings that matter on every printer

These settings cause most bad labels. Check them in your browser's or PDF viewer's print dialog every time you set up a new computer.

Paper size matches the label. Not Letter, not A4, and not a label size that's close.
Scale is 100% or "Actual size." Never "Fit to page" or "Shrink to fit." Scaling makes the code smaller than it should be and can cut off the edges.
Margins are none or default. Extra margins push the code off center.
Orientation matches how the label feeds. If the label comes out rotated or cut off, flip between portrait and landscape.
One label per page. Every code should land on its own label.

Test before a full run

Print a quantity of one or two.
Scan the 2D code with a barcode scanner that reads 2D codes. Many phone barcode apps can read them too. Make sure the code it reads matches the code your software says it printed.
Check the edges. The code should have blank space all around it and nothing cut off.
Stick the label on a real unit. It should sit flat on one surface, not wrap around an edge or corner, and the product's own barcode should still scan.
Run the same test after you change rolls, printers or computers.

If the test labels scan and look right, put them on real units. They're real codes.

Common print problems

Faint or patchy codes: turn up darkness, slow the print speed or clean the print head.
Labels printing across two labels: recalibrate, and check the paper size in the driver.
Tiny or off-center codes: scaling is on. Set it to 100% or "Actual size."
Codes that won't scan: check scaling, darkness and wrinkles. A label on a curved or textured surface can also be hard to read.

For problems that aren't about the printer, see common Transparency errors and fixes.

Printing from T-Code Manager

In T-Code Manager, your team scans the product by ASIN, UPC, SKU or FNSKU, enters a quantity, picks a format and prints. The label file comes out sized to the format you picked: 1" x 1", 1.25" x 2.25" Dymo or 2" x 1".

Codes are marked used when the label file is created, so two stations can't print the same code. If the label file fails to generate, no codes are used up. Every print job is saved to your history with who printed it, when and for which product. If a printer jams halfway through a job, you can see exactly which job it was.

Unlimited users and unlimited label prints come with every plan, so every packing station can have its own login. Start a free 14-day trial, no credit card required, or compare plans and pricing.