Data Matrix labels for sheets and thermal rolls
Pick a label stock and a layout, add your codes and captions, and print a PDF at exact size. The code keeps its blank border, always.
What goes in the code
A part number, serial, asset ID or any text, kept exactly as typed. The preview shows an example until you type. Spreadsheet or serial numbers?
14 × 14 code, 14 mm wide, 1 mm squares, blank border 2 squares
Label stock
Also fits Avery 22816, Avery 22853, Avery 22921, and 6 more. Sizes from the manufacturer’s template: print the calibration page once.
30 stocks
Layout
The code with one line of text under it (often the encoded value).
Print your labels
Type your value above to download. The preview shows an example.
How many
12 labels on 1 sheet
Partly used sheet?Start at label 1 of 12
Start at label 1
Printing starts at the top-left label. Pick another label if some are already used.
Printer adjustmentCalibration page, printer profiles
Code size and shapeAutomatic · square · border 2
Code shape
A rectangle suits narrow labels. Square holds more and every 2D scanner reads it.
Size of each small square
The largest code that fits the label, up to 1 mm squares.
Blank border around the code (quiet zone)
Never less than 1 square. 2 is the default; text and logos stay outside it.
True size, one page per sheet. Print at 100% / Actual size.
One label as PNG or SVG
For label software and design apps. The first label only.
Keeps the stock, layout, text, logo and printer profile in this browser. No account needed.
What the label maker does
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30 label stocks
18 Avery-style sheets and 12 thermal roll sizes, in inches and mm.
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Five layouts
Code only, caption, workshop, branded with a logo, and asset tag.
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True-size PDF
Exact page and label positions. Print at 100%, no scaling.
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Printer calibration
Test page, partly used sheets and saved printer profiles.
How it works
How to print Data Matrix labels
Everything happens in your browser. What you type is never uploaded.
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Step 1: Type your value
A part number, serial or asset ID, or a list with one per line. Leading zeros and spaces are kept exactly.
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Step 2: Pick the stock and layout
Choose your label sheet or roll, then a layout. Add a caption, part details or a logo.
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Step 3: Download and print
Fill a sheet or set a number of copies, then download the PDF. Print it at 100% / Actual size.
Anatomy
What goes on a Data Matrix label
A Data Matrix label is a sticker with a Data Matrix code and a few lines of text. The code is for the scanner. The text is for people. The one rule: the code keeps a clear blank border, and nothing prints inside it.
- The Data Matrix code. It holds PART-000123, exactly as typed. Here it is 14 × 14 squares. Never stretched, never decorated.
- The blank border (quiet zone). Clear space around the code, 2 squares wide by default and never less than 1. Text, logos and the label edge stay outside it.
- Readable ID. The value in large type, so a person can read it when there is no scanner at hand.
- Description. What the item is. Optional.
- Small line. Revision, batch, quantity or a contact. Optional. A logo can sit here too, on the branded layout.
30 stocks
Supported label sheets and rolls
Search for these in the tool by product code or size. The last column is the largest square code that fits a code-only label with squares of about 0.5 mm (whole printer dots on thermal rolls) and a 2-square blank border.
US Letter sheets (8.5 × 11 in)
| Stock | Label size | Per sheet | Largest code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery 5163 Also Avery 5263, Avery 5523, Avery 5963 … | 4 × 2 in 101.6 × 50.8 mm | 10 | 80 × 80 up to 682 capitals and digits |
| Avery 5160 Also Avery 5136, Avery 5260, Avery 5520 … | 2.63 × 1 in 66.7 × 25.4 mm | 30 | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Avery 5161 Also Avery 5261, Avery 5909, Avery 5961 … | 4 × 1 in 101.6 × 25.4 mm | 20 | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Avery 5162 Also Avery 5262, Avery 5522, Avery 5962 … | 4 × 1.33 in 101.6 × 33.9 mm | 14 | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Avery 5164 Also Avery 5264, Avery 5524, Avery 6464 … | 4 × 3.33 in 101.6 × 84.7 mm | 6 | 144 × 144 up to 2,335 capitals and digits |
| Avery 22806 Also Avery 22816, Avery 22853, Avery 22921 … | 2 × 2 in 50.8 × 50.8 mm | 12 | 80 × 80 up to 682 capitals and digits |
| Avery 5167 Also Avery 5267, Avery 5667, Avery 8167 … | 1.75 × 0.5 in 44.4 × 12.7 mm | 80 | 16 × 16 up to 16 capitals and digits |
A4 sheets (210 × 297 mm)
| Stock | Label size | Per sheet | Largest code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery L7163 Also Avery J8163, Avery L7163B, Label Planet LP14/99 | 99.1 × 38.1 mm 3.9 × 1.5 in | 14 | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7160 Also Avery J8160, Label Planet LP21/63 | 63.5 × 38.1 mm 2.5 × 1.5 in | 21 | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7173 Also Avery J8173, Label Planet LP10/99 | 99.1 × 57 mm 3.9 × 2.24 in | 10 | 96 × 96 up to 1,042 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7159 Also Avery J8159, Label Planet LP24/63 | 63.5 × 33.9 mm 2.5 × 1.33 in | 24 | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7162 Also Avery J8162, Label Planet LP16/99 | 99.1 × 33.9 mm 3.9 × 1.33 in | 16 | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7165 Also Avery J8165, Label Planet LP8/99 | 99.1 × 67.7 mm 3.9 × 2.67 in | 8 | 104 × 104 up to 1,222 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7651 Also Avery J8651, Label Planet LP65/38 | 38.1 × 21.2 mm 1.5 × 0.83 in | 65 | 32 × 32 up to 91 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7636 Also Label Planet LP48/45 | 45.7 × 21.2 mm 1.8 × 0.83 in | 48 | 32 × 32 up to 91 capitals and digits |
| Avery L7656 Also Label Planet LP84/46 | 46 × 11.1 mm 1.81 × 0.44 in | 84 | 14 × 14 up to 10 capitals and digits |
| Square 25 × 25 mm | 25 × 25 mm 0.98 × 0.98 in | 70 | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Square 51 × 51 mm | 51 × 51 mm 2.01 × 2.01 in | 15 | 80 × 80 up to 682 capitals and digits |
Thermal rolls (one label per page)
| Stock | Label size | Labels | Largest code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll 1 × 1 in | 1 × 1 in 25.4 × 25.4 mm | 1 per page | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Roll 1.5 × 1 in | 1.5 × 1 in 38.1 × 25.4 mm | 1 per page | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Roll 1.25 × 0.5 in | 1.25 × 0.5 in 31.8 × 12.7 mm | 1 per page | 16 × 16 up to 16 capitals and digits |
| Roll 2 × 1 in | 2 × 1 in 50.8 × 25.4 mm | 1 per page | 40 × 40 up to 169 capitals and digits |
| Roll 2 × 1.5 in | 2 × 1.5 in 50.8 × 38.1 mm | 1 per page | 52 × 52 up to 304 capitals and digits |
| Roll 2 × 2 in | 2 × 2 in 50.8 × 50.8 mm | 1 per page | 80 × 80 up to 682 capitals and digits |
| Roll 2.25 × 1.25 in Also 2.25" × 1.25" thermal labels (Zebra, Rollo, MUNBYN, Arkscan and similar 2"–4" printers), DYMO 30334 (2-1/4" × 1-1/4" LabelWriter multipurpose) | 2.25 × 1.25 in 57.2 × 31.8 mm | 1 per page | 48 × 48 up to 259 capitals and digits |
| Roll 3 × 2 in | 3 × 2 in 76.2 × 50.8 mm | 1 per page | 80 × 80 up to 682 capitals and digits |
| Roll 4 × 6 in | 4 × 6 in 101.6 × 152.4 mm | 1 per page | 144 × 144 up to 2,335 capitals and digits |
| Roll 25 × 25 mm | 25 × 25 mm 0.98 × 0.98 in | 1 per page | 36 × 36 up to 127 capitals and digits |
| Roll 40 × 30 mm | 40 × 30 mm 1.57 × 1.18 in | 1 per page | 48 × 48 (203 dpi), 44 × 44 (300 dpi) up to 259 capitals and digits |
| Roll 50 × 25 mm | 50 × 25 mm 1.97 × 0.98 in | 1 per page | 36 × 36 up to 127 capitals and digits |
Sizes come from the manufacturers’ published templates and have not all been print-tested by us. Print the calibration page (under “Printer adjustment” in the tool) before a big run. Your stock is not listed? Choose “Custom sheet” or “Custom roll” in the stock list and enter its measurements.
Printing
Printing tips that keep codes readable
Print at actual size
The PDF is already the exact size of your sheet or label. In the print dialog choose 100% or Actual size, never “Fit to page” or “Shrink to fit”. Scaling moves every label off its cut lines and shrinks the code. The calibration page has a 100 mm ruler: if it does not measure 100 mm on paper, the page was scaled.
Printer settings for sheets
- Paper size: the sheet’s own size (US Letter or A4). A mismatch shifts everything.
- Paper type: “Labels” or heavy paper, if your printer offers it. Feed one sheet at a time if sheets skew.
- Quality: normal or best. Draft mode can leave gaps in the small squares.
- Partly used sheet? Choose the first free label so you do not waste the rest.
Thermal printers: whole dots per square
A thermal printer can only print whole dots. If each square were 3.7 dots wide, some squares would print 3 dots and others 4, and scanners can misread the code. So on a roll the tool rounds every square to whole dots and tells you the real size:
| Printer | One dot | Square |
|---|---|---|
| 203 dpi | 0.125 mm | 4 dots = 0.5 mm |
| 300 dpi | 0.085 mm | 6 dots = 0.508 mm |
| 600 dpi | 0.042 mm | 12 dots = 0.508 mm |
Set the label size in the printer driver to the roll’s size, and the print direction so the label comes out the right way up. Most drivers have a “darkness” or “heat” setting: too dark makes the squares bleed together, too light leaves gaps.
Direct thermal or thermal transfer?
Direct thermal labels darken where the print head heats them. There is no ribbon. They can fade with heat, sunlight and time, so they suit shipping and short-term labels. Thermal transfer printers melt ink from a ribbon onto the label. The print lasts longer, so it suits parts, assets and anything that must stay readable. Ask your label supplier which material fits your conditions. The PDF is the same for both.
Test before the big run
- Print the calibration page once for each stock and printer, and save the printer profile if the lines are off.
- Print one label and scan it with the scanner or phone you will really use. You can also read a Data Matrix code online from a photo.
- Check that nothing touches the code’s blank border, and that the code is not cut by the label edge.
“Data decoded successfully” in the tool means our software read the code back exactly. It does not prove that a printed label scans on every printer, stock or scanner, or that it meets an ISO print-quality grade. That needs your own scan test or a verifier. More in how big to print a Data Matrix.
Uses
Asset tags and part labels
Part and bin labels. Workshops and small manufacturers put the part number in the code and in large text, with the description and revision beside it. The workshop layout keeps that clean in black and white, so it prints well on a thermal printer.
Asset tags. IT, repair and service teams label laptops, tools and equipment with an asset ID, the owner’s name and a support contact. Paste a list of IDs, one per line, to print a sheet of different tags at once.
Product labels. Small brands use the branded layout: logo, accent band, product name and variant, all beside the code. For GTIN, expiry and lot fields, make a GS1 DataMatrix instead of plain text.
The same code works on any of these. Need just the code as an image for your own label software? Use the Data Matrix code generator. Need a different code on every label from a spreadsheet? Import a spreadsheet of codes.
Data Matrix labels FAQ
What is a Data Matrix label?
A sticker that carries a Data Matrix code, a small square 2D barcode, plus some text people can read, such as a part number. Workshops use them on parts and bins, IT teams on assets, labs on samples, and drug and device makers on packs. The code holds the ID; your scanner or system decides what it means.
How do I print Data Matrix labels?
- Type your value at the top of this page, or paste a list.
- Choose your label stock and a layout.
- Choose how many, then download the PDF.
- Print it at 100% / Actual size, never “Fit to page”.
On a partly used sheet, choose the first free label under “Partly used sheet?”. For hundreds of different codes, import a spreadsheet of codes.
Can I print Data Matrix labels on a thermal printer?
Yes. Choose a thermal roll size and your printer’s resolution (203, 300 or 600 dpi). The tool rounds every square to whole printer dots, so all squares print the same width, and shows the real size. At 203 dpi, 4 dots make a 0.5 mm square; at 300 dpi, 6 dots make 0.508 mm. The PDF has one label per page, the way label printer drivers expect.
How small can a Data Matrix label be?
It depends on how much data you encode, your printer and your scanner. PART-000123 makes a 14 × 14 code. With 0.5 mm squares it is 9 mm wide including its blank border. With 2-dot squares on a 203 dpi printer (0.25 mm) it is 4.5 mm, but many scanners struggle that small. The smallest stock here, Avery L7656 (46 × 11.1 mm (1.81 × 0.44 in)), fits it with 0.506 mm squares. Test a printed label with your own scanner. More in how big to print a Data Matrix.
Can I put my logo on the label?
Yes, with the branded layout. Add a PNG or JPEG logo and an accent band. Both print beside the code, outside its blank border, never on the code. Logos and colors inside a Data Matrix make it harder to scan, so the tool does not allow it.
Which label stocks can I use?
18 Avery-style sheets for laser and inkjet printers (US Letter and A4, including square labels) and 12 thermal roll sizes. Search by product code, such as 5160 or L7651, or by size. Not listed? Enter your own sheet or roll size. The sizes come from the manufacturers’ templates, so print the calibration page once before a big run.
Can I save my label layout?
Yes. “Save layout” keeps the stock, layout, text, logo and printer profile in this browser, with no account. To use them on other devices and with a team, save label layouts (Pro waitlist).