I need two copies of every shipping label in one file for printing. How do I duplicate them?
Add the same labels file to [[merge-pdf]] twice. The tool accepts one file more than once and copies its pages each time, so you get one complete set followed by another. If each label must sit next to its copy, rearrange the merged file with the page reordering tool.
Why two copies at all?
Plenty of shops stick one copy on the parcel and keep one in the order file, or put one inside the box and one on the outside. Before you start, ask yourself one simple question: do I need a file with both copies in it, or do I just need to print two copies?
If you print from your own computer, the print dialog has a copies box, and with Collate switched off every page comes out twice in a row. You do not need to merge at all. If you are sending the file to someone else to print, or printing from a label printer app that prints the file once as it is, then you really do need a file containing both copies.
How: the same file, twice
- Open Merge PDFs and choose the labels file.
- Choose the same file again. It appears in the list twice, with two different numbers.
- Press 'Merge and download'.
A file of 3 labels, one page per order, added twice.
The summary shows 2 files and 6 pages, and the result runs label 1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 3 again.
If each label must sit next to its copy
Two sets in a row are fine if you cut the labels and sort them in two batches. If you want a label and its copy to come out one after the other so orders never get mixed up, open the merged file in Reorder PDF pages and move pages until the new order reads 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6. Page 4 is the second copy of label 1, page 5 the copy of label 2, and so on.
- With a long run of labels, moving page by page gets tedious, and the copies option in the print dialog is faster if your printer offers it.
- Every page keeps its own size, so small shipping labels are not turned into A4 pages.
- Set the scaling in your print dialog, because the tool does not resize pages to fit label stock.
Common questions
Can I add the file three times?
Yes, as long as the list stays within 20 files and 2000 pages in total.
Can I remove just one copy from the list?
Yes, the 'Remove' button next to each entry removes only that copy.
Does the barcode stay sharp on the second copy?
Yes. Pages are copied as they are with no recompression, so both copies are identical.