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Avery Shipping Labels for Inkjet & Laser Printers
Avery makes the industry-standard adhesive label sheets for inkjet and laser printers. Their 5163, 5263, and 8163 lines are the most common for shipping labels. Good for occasional shippers; more expensive long-term than thermal labels.
Types of Avery Shipping Labels
Avery 5163 / 5263 / 8163 (2×4-inch)
10 labels per sheet, standard shipping size.
Best for: Shipping labels on letter paper
Avery 5168 / 5268 (3.5×5-inch)
4 labels per sheet, larger single labels.
Best for: Bigger shipping labels
Avery 5164 / 5264 (3.33×4-inch)
6 labels per sheet.
Best for: Mid-sized shipping labels
Avery 18163 (2×4-inch full sheet)
Adhesive single-label sheets.
Best for: 4×6 shipping label on 8.5×11 sheet (cut to 4×6)
Avery 18660 / 8160 (1×2.625-inch)
30 labels per sheet.
Best for: Return address labels (not shipping)
Practical Tips
- •5163/5263/8163 are interchangeable — same size, different brand/packaging
- •$20-40 per 1,000 labels for Avery vs $15-25 per 500-count thermal roll ($30-50 per 1,000)
- •Thermal is cheaper long-term but requires a thermal printer investment
- •Avery.com provides free label templates for Word, Adobe
- •Generic brands (Uline, Amazon Basics) with equivalent sizing are often 30-50% cheaper than Avery
Frequently asked questions
Can I print USPS labels on Avery labels?
Yes. USPS accepts any adhesive label with a legible barcode. Use the 2×4-inch or 4×6-inch sizes depending on your label output.
Avery 5163 vs 5263 vs 8163?
Same size (2×4-inch, 10 per sheet). Different Avery product line SKUs — buy whichever is cheapest.
Avery vs thermal — which is cheaper?
Per label: Avery ~$0.02-0.04, thermal ~$0.03-0.06. But Avery requires ink + toner ongoing; thermal doesn't. At 10+ labels/week, thermal pays off within 3-6 months.
Can I use Avery 5163 on my laser printer?
Yes. Avery 5163/5263/8163 work with both inkjet and laser printers — check the Avery product listing for exact compatibility.
Which Avery template matches a shipping label?
For half-sheet (2-per-page) shipping labels the common Avery products are the 5126/5526/8126-style 5.5×8.5 sheets; full-sheet is 5165/8165 (8.5×11, one label). Match the Avery product number to your printer software's template picker — the number is the whole game, since it maps to exact dimensions and margins.
Avery sheets vs thermal labels — which is cheaper?
Long-term, thermal wins decisively — no ink, pennies per label. Avery adhesive sheets cost more per label (paper plus ink) and are slower to peel-and-apply, but need no special printer. The break-even favors thermal for anyone shipping even a handful weekly; Avery sheets suit low-volume or no-thermal-printer situations.
Why is my Avery label printing misaligned?
Almost always a scale or template mismatch. Set the print dialog to 100%/Actual Size (never 'fit to page'), pick the exact Avery product number in your template, and confirm the sheet loaded in the right orientation. One notch of scaling throws every label off its adhesive rectangle.
Can I print a carrier shipping label onto Avery sheets?
Yes — a USPS/UPS/FedEx label PDF prints onto a blank full-sheet or half-sheet Avery label just fine, as long as you print at 100% so the barcode stays scannable. The half-sheet format is popular precisely because it puts a peelable shipping label on standard letter printers without buying thermal hardware.
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