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SPConnector

Setup

Get started with automatic packing slip printing

Setup takes about 5 minutes once you have a Shippo live API key and PrintNode installed on the computer your printer is connected to. Here's each step.

1

Create your account

Sign up on the registration page. Every account starts on the free Starter plan, which covers 100 orders a month. You can upgrade later from Settings.

Test mode is on for new accounts, so you can finish setup and check a few orders before anything prints.

2

Connect your Shippo account

SPConnector reads your orders through Shippo's API. It needs your live (production) API key, because test keys can't see order data. The key is encrypted with AES-256 before it's stored.

  1. Get your live API key. In Shippo, open the API page and request a live token. Shippo reviews live token requests by hand, which usually takes less than 24 hours, so start here. If you don't have a Shippo account yet, create one on the Shippo website.
  2. Enter the key. On the Configuration page in SPConnector, paste the key into the Shippo API Key field and click Connect. Once the connection works, more settings appear.
  3. Choose where to start. From your 10 most recent orders, pick the newest one that should not print. Every order after it will print. SPConnector moves this marker forward after each check, so orders don't print twice.

How often Shippo imports orders

Shippo imports orders from your store on a schedule set by each platform's API limits:

Every 15 minutes
Wix, Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Walmart
Every hour
eBay, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Amazon, Square, Magento 2

To import new orders right away, click "Sync Orders" on the Orders page in Shippo. SPConnector picks them up within 60 seconds.

3

Connect PrintNode and pick a printer

PrintNode connects your printer to SPConnector through a small desktop app. It's a separate account with its own pricing.

  1. Set up PrintNode. Create an account on the PrintNode website and install the PrintNode app on the computer your printer is connected to.
  2. Create an API key. Generate one on the API page of your PrintNode account.
  3. Enter the key and pick a printer. On the Configuration page, paste the key, click Connect, and choose your printer from the list.
  4. Check the printer settings. SPConnector reads what your printer supports from PrintNode, then lets you set:
    • Paper size, from the sizes your printer reports (Letter, A4, Legal and so on)
    • Print resolution (DPI)
    • Single or double-sided printing
    • Paper tray
    • Number of copies, from 1 to 99
    • Color, if your printer supports it
4

Check a few orders, then go live

With both connections in place, SPConnector checks Shippo for new paid orders every 60 seconds. While test mode is on, it processes them without printing anything.

Where to look

  • Dashboard: usage against your plan, whether Shippo and PrintNode are connected, and recent activity.
  • Orders: every processed order with its print status. You can reprint or download a slip from the order's row.
  • Printer: whether your printer is online and what it supports.
  • Configuration: your Shippo, PrintNode, and printing settings.

Go live

When the test orders look right, turn off test mode on the Configuration page. From then on, each new paid order prints on its own.

If something isn't working, the troubleshooting guide covers the most common problems, or you can contact support.