CloudPrint prints a shipping label that your carrier, marketplace or shipping system has already generated. It does not buy postage, choose a carrier or create tracking numbers; its job is to deliver the final PDF or compatible RAW label data to the correct local printer and report the result.
## Generate the label before sending it to CloudPrint First create or purchase the shipment through the carrier or shipping API and obtain the final label. Then send its PDF, public HTTPS download URL or RAW payload in ZPL, TSPL or CPCL. Carrier rates, tracking and label generation remain with the carrier or shipping platform; CloudPrint handles printing. ## Choose PDF or a RAW label language PDF is portable and easy to preview, but the target queue needs system printing or a supported renderer. RAW preserves device-level control: set `document_format=raw`, use the exact `document_raw_language` (`zpl`, `tspl` or `cpcl`) and select only a printer that advertises that language with RAW passthrough. ## Route each packing station During warehouse setup, assign a stable `printer_id` to each packing station or shipping workflow. Display the queue name for people, but route by ID. If that printer is offline, stop and show a clear fallback choice rather than silently sending a customer label to another location. ## Match media and barcode quality Set the document page to the real label dimensions and, when needed, request matching `media_width_mm`, `media_height_mm` and `dpi`. Calibrate gap or mark sensing, darkness and speed on the physical printer. A successful API status cannot compensate for a clipped or unreadable barcode, so scan production samples before rollout. ## Call the API from the backend Discover the packing-station printer, upload the PDF or RAW document, create a print job and follow its status. Use `POST /api/v1/documents` plus `POST /api/v1/print-jobs`, or one of the URL/Base64 shortcuts when its input constraints fit. Never put the OAuth client secret in warehouse browser code. ## Make retries and reprints auditable Build the `Idempotency-Key` from shipment ID, label type and operation version. A timeout retry keeps that key. A deliberate second copy gets a new key and records the operator and reason. Test agent shutdown, an offline printer, empty media and workstation restart before enabling unattended printing. ## Next steps