Business

Shipping label PDF generator API

A USPS First-Class label with postage-paid block, ship-to address and tracking barcode — one per parcel.

Generate a clean shipping label PDF for every parcel from your fulfilment system. Pass the postage details, return and ship-to addresses and tracking number, and PDFgen renders a USPS-style label with a tracking barcode strip.

One reusable template covers every shipment, so high-volume order fulfilment is just one API call per package.

Generate a USPS Shipping Label PDF via the API

POST your data to /api/v1/generate and get a PDF back. Copy-paste an example, swap in your API key, and loop over a list to render thousands — one usps shipping label per record.

curl -X POST https://pdfgen.com/api/v1/generate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pdfg_live_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "html": "<div style=\"padding:18px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#000;\">\n  <div style=\"max-width:400px;margin:0 auto;border:1px solid #000;\">\n    <div style=\"display:flex;border-bottom:3px solid #000;\">\n      <div style=\"width:64px;border-right:1px solid #000;text-align:center;padding:6px 0;\">\n        <span style=\"font-size:46px;font-weight:800;line-height:1;\">{{mailClassCode}}</span>\n      </div>\n      <div style=\"flex:1;padding:6px 8px;font-size:10px;line-height:1.4;\">\n        <p style=\"margin:0;font-weight:700;\">US POSTAGE AND FEES PAID</p>\n        <p style=\"margin:1px 0 0;font-weight:700;\">{{mailClass}}</p>\n        <p style=\"margin:3px 0 0;\">{{mailedDate}}</p>\n        <p style=\"margin:0;\">Mailed from ZIP {{originZip}}</p>\n        <p style=\"margin:0;\">{{packageRate}}</p>\n        <p style=\"margin:5px 0 0;border-top:1px solid #000;padding-top:3px;\">{{priceClass}}</p>\n      </div>\n      <div style=\"width:84px;border-left:1px solid #000;padding:6px;text-align:center;\">\n        <div style=\"width:58px;height:58px;margin:0 auto;background:repeating-conic-gradient(#000 0% 25%, #fff 0% 50%) 0 0 / 7px 7px;\"></div>\n        <p style=\"margin:4px 0 0;font-size:8px;\">{{postageId}}</p>\n      </div>\n      <div style=\"width:16px;border-left:1px solid #000;position:relative;\">\n        <span style=\"position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%) rotate(90deg);white-space:nowrap;font-size:9px;color:#444;\">{{provider}}</span>\n      </div>\n    </div>\n    <div style=\"background:#000;color:#fff;text-align:center;padding:7px;font-size:18px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:1px;\">{{bannerText}}</div>\n    <div style=\"padding:8px 12px;font-size:9px;color:#555;line-height:1.4;\">\n      <p style=\"margin:0;\">{{from.name}}</p>\n      <p style=\"margin:0;white-space:pre-line;\">{{from.address}}</p>\n    </div>\n    <div style=\"padding:18px 14px 30px;min-height:118px;\">\n      <p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;\">SHIP TO:</p>\n      <p style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.45;\">{{to.name}}</p>\n      <p style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.45;white-space:pre-line;\">{{to.address}}</p>\n      <p style=\"text-align:right;font-size:24px;font-weight:800;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 0;\">{{brand}}</p>\n    </div>\n    <div style=\"border-top:3px solid #000;text-align:center;padding:7px;font-size:15px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:1px;\">USPS TRACKING #</div>\n    <div style=\"padding:12px 16px 16px;text-align:center;\">\n      <div style=\"height:58px;background:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg,#000 0 2px,#fff 2px 4px,#000 4px 5px,#fff 5px 9px,#000 9px 12px,#fff 12px 14px);\"></div>\n      <p style=\"margin:8px 0 0;font-size:13px;letter-spacing:2px;font-weight:700;\">{{tracking}}</p>\n    </div>\n  </div>\n</div>",
    "engine": "handlebars",
    "format": "A5",
    "data": {
      "mailClassCode": "F",
      "mailClass": "FIRST-CLASS",
      "mailedDate": "Jun 02 2026",
      "originZip": "55987",
      "packageRate": "3oz First-Class PKG Rate",
      "priceClass": "CommercialBasePrice",
      "postageId": "071S00840297",
      "provider": "endicia.com",
      "bannerText": "USPS FIRST-CLASS PKG",
      "from": {
        "name": "Northwind Goods",
        "address": "120 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103"
      },
      "to": {
        "name": "Your Name",
        "address": "123 Address St.\nCity, State 5555"
      },
      "brand": "Etsy",
      "tracking": "9400 1108 9822 6486 0582 87"
    }
  }' --output shipping-label.pdf

Working in another language? Follow a full guide for your stack:

Node.jsNext.jsReactPythonDjangoRuby on RailsLaravelPHPGo

What you can build

  • Printing a label for every order at pack time
  • Generating labels from a WMS or order-management system
  • Batch-producing labels for a day’s shipments
  • Re-printing a damaged or lost label on demand

Frequently asked questions

Does this create real USPS postage?
No — it formats a USPS-style label layout. Pair it with a postage/carrier API for valid tracking numbers and paid postage, then pass those values into the template.
Can I render a scannable tracking barcode?
The template shows a barcode-style strip. For a scannable code, insert a barcode image/SVG generated from your tracking number and pass it in your data.
Can I generate labels in bulk?
Yes — loop over the day’s shipments and call the API once per parcel to get one label PDF each.

Related templates

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Payment Receipt

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Ship your usps shipping label PDF endpoint today

Generate this template with AI, tweak it to match your brand, then render at scale with a single API call — no headless browsers to babysit.