This guide shows off how you can chain multiple Label LIVE features to achieve a dramatic improvement in workflow. Building off our previous 

 guide, we take it a step further to show how you can scan a barcode and save a high DPI PNG image of that barcode's data, or something else entirely.

Please read our previous guide if you have not already. 

We made a few cosmetic changes to the previous barcode duplication design.

Change the Preview Method from "Label PDF" to "Batch Images."

Click "Save to..." and choose a folder on your computer.

The final step is to set the Filename to the 

Whenever you print it will generate an image in the directory with the name of the scanned 

Label LIVE can duplicate barcodes and print to a printer, and it can just as easily save the image to a folder on your computer with a custom name.

Scan Barcode And Save Copy As PNG Image

If you have a product or box with a barcode, you might want to change it somehow and add a new label on top of the old one.

Perhaps you need to add a different barcode with a prefix, a pack-date, a lot code, or a simple logo.

Duplicating barcodes is easy with Label LIVE's intuitive drag and drop interface.

For this example, we have a "source" barcode that we scan and a new design that prints. We use the same kind of barcode (UPC-A symbology) for both the source and the new design, and we also add a 2D barcode (QR Code) that could be used by customers to search a website for that UPC. In this example we search Google.

Feel free to use a different barcode symbology, so long as the data is compatible between the two kinds.

The new design will have two barcodes: UPC-A and a 2D barcode (QR Code). The design uses a variable named 

 to "load" the barcodes with the duplicated data.

. Paste in your UPC data in the empty Value field.

Switch over to the Design tab, click Barcode, and click UPC-A. Set the Value to 

. You can use the drop-down menu to easily select a variable value.

 Add a 2D barcode (QR Code). Paste in this value: 

Position your barcodes. Your label design will look something like this:

 value it will select the entire value, allowing you to scan and replace the data in the label. All of this will happen instantly for both barcodes. That is the power of Label LIVE.

The real power is with a barcode scanner in-hand. With the text highlighted, try scanning a UPC barcode. If your scanner automatically "presses return" (sends an enter keystroke) at the end of a scanned barcode, then the label will automatically print. You can turn off this functionality by hovering over the blue Print button and uncheck "Print on enter key."

If you followed along, the Print tab has "Print Preview" selected. If so, the default PDF app will open. You can not scan more than one without having to switch back to Label LIVE. When you change to a real printer, Label LIVE will stay on the Form tab, allowing you to scan and duplicate multiple barcodes hands-free.

 and we will get back to you right away with a solution.

Users often need to duplicate an existing barcode on a product or box. Label LIVE makes it easy with hands-free barcode scanning and duplication.

Easy to Use Barcode Duplicator

The first time you printed a label with Label LIVE you probably entered all text by typing it in manually. Then you tried adding a variable. To save time, you started importing bulk data using a spreadsheet or CSV file. Life was good.

The reality is spreadsheets can be error prone or slow down production processes. To further automate label printing you might consider a deeper integration with Label LIVE using URLs, the command line, or publishing print jobs using MQTT. Don’t let these scare you! Follow this guide.

Starting with Label LIVE version 2.4 you can automate printing labels by using special commands. You can try this today by creating and saving a label design. Add a variable and click the 

Oh, that's interesting... it looks like a website address. And you're not wrong. This is a URL (technically a URI) - and it describes a resource. In this case, the resource is "handled" by 

 which means, when your computer "opens" this resource, it opens Label LIVE and your favorite label printing app takes over from there.

 and that  tells Label LIVE we're going to print a label. Everything after 

 are the options for printing. Since you clicked on the Integrate button inside your own design you'll see the full path to your saved design, any variables, the printer and the number of copies.

This works right out of the box. No, seriously, try it!

Click on "Copy Browser URL" and paste into your browser. You will get a prompt to "Open" Label LIVE.  

Accept and... boom. Your label has printed. 🤯

The biggest opportunity to integrate label printing is when variables are in use.

The idea is that you tell Label LIVE exactly what text to put inside your variables. This text might be label text such as ingredients, numbers for barcodes, pricing or weighing, or 

There are additional options to help control the printing. For example, you can set the number of copies, the destination printer, and even control if Label LIVE stays hidden or minimized.

There are three ways to integrate label printing with Label LIVE:

Most integrations will use a similar format to trigger printing. Let's break down the URL into its basic parts. Each part is separated by an ampersand 

 which effectively glues together the parts. Because the 

 is considered special, any use of ampersands within the other options must be escaped using 

labellive://print?file=/Users/caylan/Dropbox/Label LIVE/Templates/sample-address-label.lsc&variables=NAME:'Jane Doe',ADDRESS:'123 Long Road',ADDRESS2:'Building 4',CITY:'Anytown',STATE:'ZX',ZIP:'12345'&printer=Preview&window=show&copies=1

This is the absolute location of the Label LIVE design file (lsc). You must specify a design to load. The design will be opened if it is not already open.

file=/Users/caylan/Dropbox/Label LIVE/Templates/sample-address-label.lsc

 representation of the label's variables. Use single quotes around whitespace. Use escaped single quotes 

variables=NAME:'Jane Doe',ADDRESS:'123 Long Road',ADDRESS2:'Building 4',CITY:'Anytown',STATE:'ZX',ZIP:'12345'

The default printer is whatever was last used in the open design. Print Preview is available as 

You must use the printer ID available within Label LIVE's Print tab. 

If a System Printer's name changes then the printer ID must also change.

The window option controls what happens to Label LIVE during the printing process.

The copies option controls how many copies to print.

MQTT is a lightweight pub/sub network protocol allowing for rapid lightweight integrations. Using MQTT can be faster than using the command-line URLs because it bypasses the operating system's need to re-open Label LIVE (especially true on Windows).

What's the catch? Label LIVE must be open for MQTT to be used because Label LIVE becomes the "server" (MQTT broker). Because of this, you may want to setup Label LIVE to automatically open when your computer restarts. Alternatively, you can setup a process where your integration tries MQTT first, and if that fails (the port is closed), open the URL instead. This will ensure a fallback that is slower on the first label, but subsequent labels are fast because they utilize MQTT when available.

Note: MQTT must be enabled in Label LIVE's settings. MQTT is not password protected, so please take care to not open this port (1883) to an untrusted network.

To start a print job simply publish a URL  to the topic 

To view print job status logging subscribe to the topic: 

 client on macOS showing a published URL and a response from the Label LIVE integration.

You are going to think of interesting uses that aren't possible with Label LIVE. Truth is, that's an exciting opportunity for us software developers. It means we can engage you on your project to learn how we can make Label LIVE work for you and your business.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need assistance integrating label printing into your business processes.

Have you ever wanted to print a label by simply clicking a link? Are you a developer that wants to integrate label printing via a simple command? Label LIVE has you covered with an open label printing integration platform.

Integrate Printing With Production Processes

In the world of design software there is an acronym called WYSIWG which stands for "What you see is what you get." If you've ever used Microsoft Word or Apple Pages, you have undoubtedly clicked a button to make a font bold, italic or underline.

You might be wondering: Where are these buttons in Label LIVE?

Instead of buttons, Label LIVE uses simple "markup" to note where a text object's font should change style. 

. Text between the start and end becomes underlined. The word "

Feel free to use upper-case or lower-case; they'll work the same.

In traditional WYSIWG, Label LIVE Data Variables can complicate how text is styled because the text may change length with different data. Using markup, defining text style becomes easy and predictable.

For example, let's say your goal is to style an ingredient list where "local" ingredients are underlined. In Excel and CSV, there's no way to export underlined style. Markup to the rescue!

Flour, salt, water, 
yeast, mozzarella, tomatoes,
olive oil.

Use simple markup to add bold, underline and italics to words or variables to the font of a text object.

Bold, Underline and Italic Text Style Using Markup

Speciality labels can present design challenges because parts of your label might be unprintable. With Label LIVE's non-printing objects, you can embrace the special conditions of your label and create rock solid design templates.

To change any Design Object to become non-printing  just click the eye icon and the object will fade and change to a yellow border.

Complex labels are often manufactured side-by-side with different individual purposes. For example, one "label" could contain a circle and a rectangle that peel separately. To create a guide for this, use dotted-outlined shapes. 

The design can be simplified by changing the "Shape" of the Label to 

A single dotted line can show where a label has perforations.

To print a full-bleed you will need to adjust the size of your label to be larger than needed. In this example of a 1"x1" label I increase the size by 0.125 (1/8") on each side, making for a 1.25" square label design.

Drag in an image designed to be full-bleed and you can adjust the sizing to make sure the design stays within the designated printing area.

To be clear, the entire bird image will print. The dotted line will not print. The dotted line indicates where a physical alteration or separation will occur: e.g. sticker peel, die cut, framing, etc.

A custom label might be off-center due to some kind of printer alignment that's out of your control. To compensate, you can create a new boundary, effectively shifting the design down (left) by using a non-printing rectangle.

Which results in this rectangle being sent to the printer.

Label LIVE is equally great for designing what does and what doesn't print.

Are you using non-printable objects? Let us know by 

Labels come in all shapes and sizes. Use Label LIVE to design templates that help guide your operator to printing success.

Label Templates for Tear-off, Full Bleed, Speciality Shapes or Preprinted Art

Have you ever wanted to print a set of labels but didn't want to fuss with Excel, or export CSV files? Label LIVE has a built-in table editor that lets you enter custom data. This lets you stay in one app for data and labeling.

The first step is clicking the Data Tab and choosing "New Table." If this option is missing, it's because you already have data imported. Try removing that data, or starting with a new document.

Here's where you add your first column. If you're making name tags you might want 

 or if you're making product tags you may want 

You can add as many columns as you need. Each column can be thought of as an individual piece of data. In Label LIVE we call them 

Now, simply click and start typing. You can use the <tab> key on your keyboard to move to the next piece of data. Think of each row as an individual label.

Note: You can delete rows by right clicking and delete columns by clicking on the vertical "..." on the header. 

 (upper right) to close the Table Editor. (Sorry Pluto!)

Now click on the gear icon next to PLANET and click "Add as Text." Notice how the word "Mercury" shows up on the label design. 

You can resize, rotate, and change the font as you require. Double-click the text to edit, or edit the Text object on the right side (highlighted). For this example I added "Yay" and an exclamation point to the end.

You can easily change the color of the design based on your variables. Let's add a circle to represent the planet's color.

You can do the same color "trick" for text, too. You try!

To print all of your labels click on the Print tab and move your mouse over Data Rows. Here, choose "All Rows" or type 

Download and open this file with Label LIVE: 

When you can't use Excel and all you need is a place to put temporary data so you can print it as a batch. Label LIVE to the rescue.

Dynamic Data (and color!) Using the Built-in Spreadsheet

The most common rolls of labels are vanilla single-column affairs. But sometimes you'll see fancy rolls where two labels are side-by-side. These are often referred to as 2-up or 2-across. There's nothing special about 2... a label converter (a business whose primary job is to manufacture rolls of labels) can easily make rolls with 3 or even 4 labels across. More labels in less space. Sounds awesome.

Except... side-by-side labels makes printing more complex. When dealing with this kind of roll, it's important to remember that the label printer is dumb. The printer doesn't care how many labels go across. The printer always sees one big rectangle. If you have 2x 1" labels across with a 0.1" gap, the printer expects a print job that's 2.1" wide.

The following two examples demonstrate two different ways of printing 2-up labels. The first example is when the data is the same. The second example is when you need each label to be different.

The examples use a calculation variable named COUNT that increments by 1 for each copy. This variable is used to demonstrate how unique labels are generated. Instead of a COUNT variable, you could just as easily import a spreadsheet and print labels using "rows" of Data.

If all you need is duplicates across, then the quickest and easiest way is to change the width of the Label and copy/paste your entire design. The COUNT variable will increment once per copy, and since the entire design on-screen is one copy, the number is repeated on both labels.

 to simulate the look of the label (but this has 

The result is always the same data across rows of labels.

If you need different data next to each other, then you should use Label LIVE's Multi-Label 

 feature. This option is more complex and is only available with System Printers using the manufacturer drivers. You can not yet use this option with 

Once configured, you can run a test print to see the difference. Turn on 

 to get an idea of how the label is formatted.

Whew! Printing side-by-side labels is challenging! 

 your questions and we will help you design the perfect time-saving solution.

Label LIVE is a great tool for generating and printing labels. These examples only use a single text object, but with Label LIVE, you can include variables, barcodes, images, shapes, and excel spreadsheet functionality. These features are just a few clicks away.

Take advantage of side-by-side, 2-up or 2-across label rolls.

Print side-by-side or "two up" labels on a roll.

Barcoding is complicated. First things first: GTINs are 

 a kind of barcode. Names like GTIN-12, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14 are part of the 

GTIN numbers may allow conversions from one form to another. For example, a GTIN-12 can be converted to a GTIN-13 or GTIN-14 by prefixing zeros. In the case of GTIN-14 the leading (first) digit is a 

Printing a GTIN forces us to choose a barcode 

. GTINs can be represented using different kinds of barcode symbology like ITF-14, EAN-13, UPC-A. You choose the symbol based on the requirements of the supply chain.

The following examples use the item number 

 at the end of the barcode is an automatically calculated 

 that gives barcode scanners the ability to check for damage and errors.

 can be different for different uses in the supply chain. This will generate different GTIN-14s for the same product. In other words, 

. Remember, the last digit is a calculated check digit which is why it changes, too. Since the GTIN-13 begins with "0" it has an equivalent GTIN-12 

This is a point-of-sale EAN-13 barcode representing the equivalent GTIN-13:

This is a point-of-sale UPC-A barcode representing the equivalent GTIN-12:

Label LIVE variables can automatically insert the item number into different kinds of barcodes. This means imported spreadsheets only need to contain the item number.

To begin using variables, add a variable named 

Now you can add barcodes and insert the variable 

To test the power of this solution, switch back to the Data tab and change the ITEM value. All barcodes will update instantly.

Label LIVE is a great tool for generating and printing barcodes. These examples only use a single barcode, but with Label LIVE, you can include variables, text, images, shapes, and excel spreadsheet functionality. These features are just a few clicks away.

Learn how to generate ITF-14, EAN and UPC barcodes using GTIN-14, GTIN-13, and GTIN-12 numbers.

Generate GTIN-14 logistic compatible ITF-14 barcodes and EAN and UPC for point of sale.

Thermal printers work by printing small dots. Printers can print anywhere from 200 DPI (dots per inch) up to 600 DPI. A larger number means higher perceived quality. The two most common DPIs are 200 (popular entry-level Zebra printers such as GK420d, GX420t) and 300 (entry-level consumer models like DYMO LabelWriter 450 and Brother QL series such as QL-700, 800, etc).

Printer manufacturers have settled on these two DPIs because they are generally "good enough" for the labels most people need.

At 200 DPI, most text and barcodes look good at a distance, but small text at 200 DPI can start to suffer in quality. 

Increasing to 300 DPI helps with printing and reading small text, but there are tradeoffs. Higher DPI printers are generally more expensive and slightly slower.

For this example, let's assume a 200 DPI thermal printer that prints one color (black) on white label stock.

Your computer's screen has many more dots than the printer... so Label LIVE has to tell the printer exactly where to place the black dots. It does this using a technique called dithering. Label LIVE has built-in dithering for images. We recommend trying at least two: Threshold and Floyd-Steinberg. Test both and choose the one that works best for your label.

Here's a quick fake logo I created to illustrate the differences in dithering.

Here's what the logo looks like after importing into Label LIVE using a technique called 

Not great for our logo. The green has turned into a shade of black dots. If you zoom into the COMPANY letters, you'll notice misplaced dots.

This logo has text and a few colors, so it's a great candidate for Threshold dithering. Just click the dithering menu and select Threshold.

Why would we want to use Floyd-Steinberg? Photos!

Let's look at printing a "simple" black and white photo.

Technically, the photo is grayscale... but label printers can't print gray dots, only black. Let's see how Label LIVE handles dithering for this image.

Here's what the photo looks like after importing into Label LIVE.

Not bad! (if I don't say so myself)... 😂

If we go back and try to apply Threshold dithering to this photo the results are poor.

Whenever you import an image try switching between the first two dithering options.

In this post you saw how different images can be optimized for printing to a black and white thermal printer. Here are some more ideas to further optimize your images:

Label LIVE is a great tool for generating and printing high-quality images. This example only uses a single image, but with Label LIVE, you can include text, barcodes, shapes, and excel spreadsheet functionality. These features are just a few clicks away.

Tips and tricks for getting the highest quality labels from your thermal printer.

Optimize Print Quality

In this guide I will show you how to use Label LIVE to generate batch barcodes using the built-in serial number feature. When finished, you can generate labels as 

 saved to a folder on your computer. You can use your own Excel spreadsheet, but this example will use the serial number feature. Consult our 

 for examples on how to import Excel spreadsheet data.

You can move the text outside of the label outline to use as a guide.

You created a calculation variable named "SERIAL." This serial number will increment every time your print. If you print 10 copies, this number will increment 10 times, once per label. This will generate 10 unique labels.

. This is the starting number. You can change this to any number.

Click on "SERIAL" to change the increment value. If you'd like to decrement, change the value to 

If you need leading zeros, ensure the checkbox "Maintain leading zero padding" is checked. This allows sequential numbers as 0001, 0002, 0003, etc. If decrementing, Label LIVE can automatically add a zero prefix such as 1001, 1000, 0999, 0998, etc.

Need to generate barcodes with non-sequential or random data? Easy! Just import an Excel spreadsheet with your own data.

(Protip: There are other variable types to experiment with: Date parsing. Special formatting. Filesystem paths for Dynamic Images. Print job variables like 

If you choose a different barcode type (e.g. Code 128, Code 39, UPC), make sure to adhere to your barcode's requirements such as minimum length, maximum length, and alpha or numeric limitations. QRCode is convenient because it does not have these kinds of limitations and is easily scannable by your phone's camera. Try it!

Change the way labels are generated. On the Print tab, select "Print Preview" and ensure the Preview Method is set to one of these:

Label LIVE can generate a PDF where each page is a unique label. To make this easier to see, I added a small text element below the QRCode.

Label LIVE can generate a 8.5x11" PDF where each page contains a grid of unique barcode labels.

This feature will save you a ton of time. Instead of generating PDFs, use Label LIVE to generate a folder full of PNG images. You can name the image files using the same SERIAL data variable. This allows you to locate a precise barcode file with ease.

Now you can ship these PNG files off to your factory or manufacturer. Super easy!

This output option works best when using Excel spreadsheet data

If you have any questions feel free to contact us. We can help you design the perfect time-saving solution.

Label LIVE is a great tool for generating and printing barcodes. This example only uses a single barcode, but with Label LIVE, you can include text, images, shapes, and excel spreadsheet functionality. These features are just a few clicks away.

Use Label LIVE to generate unique bulk barcodes and save as individual PNG image files or as pages within a single PDF.

Bulk Barcode PNG/PDF Generator

If you already have a vCard (.vcf) file, then you can skip to the next step. If not, exporting your contacts into vCard is straightforward. This example uses Apple's Contacts.app to generate vCard (.vcf) files.

There are multiple ways to export a vCard from Apple's Contacts.app:

Choose one of these techniques and create the vCard (.vcf) file.

Next you will add a Text object. This is where the address information will load. You do this using "variables." Variables are just a special way to insert the spreadsheet columns into your label.

{FULL_NAME}
{ADDRESS_HOME_STREET}
{ADDRESS_HOME_CITY}, {ADDRESS_HOME_STATE} {ADDRESS_HOME_ZIP}

From here, you can create label PDFs or print directly to different printers. Check out the blog post at 

 for more examples on how to generate address Sheets or batch images.

Label LIVE can export imported vCards as CSV. Just click the button representing the file you have open (e.g. Contacts.vcf) and click "Export..."

Label LIVE is a great tool for generating and printing address labels. This example only uses a single text field, but with Label LIVE, you can include barcodes, images, shapes, and serial number functionality. These features are just a few clicks away.

Use your address book to export vCard files and then import contact addresses into Label LIVE for easy label printing.

Print Address Labels Using vCard (.vcf) Files

The first step in this example is to create variable.

There is nothing special about the word CODE. You can use whatever name makes sense to you.

With barcode labels, it's often valuable to have the scanned value printed as text. That way, humans and computers can both read the label's contents.

Now it's time to format the text to your liking. You can change the font, size, etc. You might consider centering the text on the label, as well as centering the text object's anchor. This means that longer/larger CODE values will cause the text object to fill the label appropriately.

In this example we're using Code 128 because it's a high-density barcode that encodes text and numbers. You can use whatever barcode type that fits your needs.

Now set the Barcode Value to be CODE variable. Click the Value dropdown menu and choose CODE. Note the new barcode value.

Each barcode can be customized to look and behave as you expect. Here, I've adjusted the Size, Height and unchecked "Show value."

It's super easy to add a barcode prefix. Click inside the "Value" box and type your prefix. It's that simple.

Add additional text or numbers to the start or end of barcode data.

The intricacies of label printing peeled back

Guides to using Label LIVE and common label printing solutions

Scan Barcode And Save Copy As PNG Image

Easy to Use Barcode Duplicator

Integrate Printing With Production Processes

Bold, Underline and Italic Text Style Using Markup

Label Templates for Tear-off, Full Bleed, Speciality Shapes or Preprinted Art

Dynamic Data (and color!) Using the Built-in Spreadsheet

Print side-by-side or "two up" labels on a roll.

Generate GTIN-14 logistic compatible ITF-14 barcodes and EAN and UPC for point of sale.

Optimize Print Quality

Bulk Barcode PNG/PDF Generator

Print Address Labels Using vCard (.vcf) Files

How To Add A Barcode Prefix

Mail Merge With Spreadsheet And Labels

How to Print Labels From an Excel Spreadsheet

Create Food Rotation Labels With Automatic Relative Dates

How to Create Barcodes Without Printed Check Digit

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