Guide

How to automate Shippo packing slip printing

Stop downloading and printing slips one order at a time. SPConnector connects your Shippo account to your printer and prints each packing slip on its own. Setup takes about 5 minutes, and the Starter plan is free.

Start for Free See the setup

By the SPConnector team at JonesLabs LLC · Last updated: October 2026

The problem

Printing by hand gets slower as you grow

Each order means logging in, finding the order, downloading the PDF, and printing it. That's manageable for a few orders a day and tedious once there are dozens.

You babysit Shippo

You keep refreshing the orders page so nothing gets missed, and orders pile up whenever you step away.

Mistakes creep in

Rushing through a stack of orders means wrong slips, skipped orders, and boxes that have to be reopened.

Busy seasons hurt

Holiday rushes and sales bring the most orders at the times you have the least time to print them.

Pipeline

How the automation works

SPConnector sits between Shippo and your printer. Here's the path an order takes.

1
An order comes in
A customer buys on Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, eBay, WooCommerce, or wherever you sell.
2
Shippo syncs it
Shippo pulls the order from your store about every 15 minutes for most platforms, and hourly for Amazon and eBay.
3
SPConnector catches it
SPConnector checks Shippo every 60 seconds, grabs the packing slip PDF, and sends it to your printer through PrintNode.
4
The slip prints
It comes out of the printer you picked. Any printer PrintNode can reach works, including one you already own.

Setup

Set it up in about 5 minutes

You'll need a Shippo live API key and PrintNode running on the computer your printer is connected to. Then there are three steps.

1
Connect your Shippo account
Paste your Shippo live API key from your Shippo dashboard. SPConnector checks it and starts watching for new orders.
2
Connect PrintNode and pick your printer
Add your PrintNode API key, then choose the printer you want slips routed to and confirm the paper size.
3
Turn on automatic printing
Verify everything in test mode, then switch it off. From here, new orders print on their own.

Start for Free

For every setting in detail, follow the getting started guide.

Payoff

What changes

Slips print 24/7

Orders don't wait on you. Slips print at 2am, over lunch, or while you're at a craft show.

Fewer mistakes

SPConnector keeps track of which orders it has printed, so it won't skip an order or print one twice.

Same process at any volume

Ten orders a day or two hundred, slips print the same way. Only your plan's monthly order limit changes.

No Shippo logins for your team

Whoever packs boxes picks up slips from the printer, without needing a Shippo login.

FAQ

Common questions

Do I need any special printer?

No. Any printer that works with your computer will work with PrintNode, and so with SPConnector. Inkjet, laser, and thermal label printers all work, so you don't need to buy anything new.

What if my internet goes down?

SPConnector runs in the cloud, so it keeps checking Shippo for new orders. Slips sent while your computer is offline wait in PrintNode and print when your internet and printer are back.

Can I still print manually when I need to?

Yes. The Orders page lists every processed order, and you can reprint a slip or download the PDF from its row.

How fast do slips print after an order comes in?

It depends on your platform's sync time with Shippo. Etsy and Shopify orders usually appear in Shippo within 15 minutes, and SPConnector checks every 60 seconds after that. From order to printed slip, expect roughly 15-20 minutes on most platforms.

Is my data safe?

API keys and customer contact details are encrypted with AES-256, using a separate key for each account. We don't sell your data.

Read the privacy policy

Set up your first automatic slip

Start in test mode, check a few orders, then switch it on.