Free PO apps now print labels. Will they scan at the till?

LabelCraft - barcode labels for Shopify that print at exactly the size you set.

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The guarantees behind every label

Exact to ±0.1 mm

Every label prints at the size you set - measured, not approximate.

Never a silent failure

Overflow or a missing barcode always raises a visible warning before you print.

Whole-dot barcodes

Modules snap to your printer's dots, so codes stay crisp and scan first time.

Your barcodes, untouched

We never overwrite or reassign a product's existing barcode.

An inventory or purchase-order app that adds print labels as a checkbox can put a barcode on a sticker. But getting a barcode onto paper and getting one that scans at the till are two different jobs. Before you trust any app's labels for retail, four things are worth checking - and here is how LabelCraft handles each.

1. Was the barcode checked before it printed?

Shopify's barcode field is just a text box. It can hold a mistyped GTIN, a wrong check digit, or a number from a restricted range that a retail scanner will refuse. An app that reprints whatever is in the field prints a code that looks right and fails at the counter. LabelCraft audits every code before it prints - check digit, GTIN structure, restricted and coupon ranges, and missing codes - on its Barcode check page, so a bad code is caught on screen instead of on the shelf. See how the GTIN check digit works and fixing an invalid barcode digit.

2. Is it a retail barcode, or your SKU in barcode ink?

When the barcode field is empty, some apps encode the SKU itself so that something prints. It scans physically, but a SKU is an internal code, not a registered retail GTIN - a marketplace or another store's POS may not resolve it to the right product or price. LabelCraft tells an internal code apart from a real retail GTIN and shows you which is which, so you decide knowingly rather than discovering it at checkout. See SKU versus barcode and finding duplicate barcodes.

3. Do the formats fit your label stock, or just a preset or two?

A checkbox printer usually ships two or three fixed layouts. A Dymo 30334, a 40 mm thermal roll, and an Avery sheet all need different sizes and often different symbologies; a fixed preset either crops the content or floats it in white space. LabelCraft renders to exact dimensions - within 0.1 mm of the size you set - with a template designer and nine symbologies: EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, Code 128, GS1-128, Code 39, ITF-14, QR Code and Data Matrix. See the label size chart and which barcode type to use.

4. Is it a browser PDF, or a real thermal label?

Printing a PDF from the browser to a 203 dpi thermal printer rasterises the barcode at screen resolution, so the bars land between the printer's dots and smear - it scans on the screen and fades on the roll. LabelCraft snaps every barcode module onto a whole printer dot so the bars stay crisp, and for a Zebra it can hand over native ZPL for the common retail codes so the printer draws the barcode itself at full resolution. See why thermal barcodes come out blurry, exporting native ZPL, and 203 versus 300 dpi.

The short version

Is the code checked? A label app should validate the barcode - check digit, structure, restricted ranges - before it prints, not after a customer cannot buy the item.
Is it a real retail barcode? A SKU printed as a barcode scans but may not be a registered GTIN; the app should tell you the difference.
Does the format fit? Your label stock and symbology should drive the layout, not two or three hardcoded presets.
Is it built for thermal? A browser PDF at screen resolution smears on a thermal roll; whole-dot modules and native ZPL are what keep a barcode scannable.

None of this is about any one app. It is the difference between adding label printing as a feature and building a label engine that has to make a barcode scan. If you are labelling stock as it arrives from a purchase order or transfer, see receiving barcode labels, or compare approaches in LabelCraft versus Retail Barcode Labels.

Install free - 200 labels per month →