Short answer: measure the label face, the full backing-paper width, the core's inner opening and the roll's outside diameter separately. Record the feed direction and label gap or mark, then compare those measurements with the manual for your exact printer and holder. A label sold as 4x6 or 100 x 150mm does not, by that name alone, establish that its roll will fit.
A replacement roll can have the right label size but the wrong core or outside diameter. This guide gives Australian packing teams a repeatable measuring sheet to use before ordering. It covers adhesive shipping-label rolls, not receipt paper, and does not turn an unidentified roll into a verified printer match.
Start with the printer and holder, not a category name
Write down the printer model and the holder arrangement: an internal roll compartment, an external spindle or a separate stand. Find the current manual's supported media width, maximum roll outside diameter, core requirements and sensing options. Keep the supplier's roll specification beside it.
Zebra's media specification guidance treats media width, print width, roll diameter and core opening as different fields. Its numeric limits belong to that specific printer model; they are not generic limits for Boxy Packaging printers or labels.
If the manual or roll specification is missing a required measurement, ask for it before assuming a fit. An external holder may change how the roll is supported, but it does not remove the printer's media-width, feed-path or sensor requirements.
What you need for a useful measurement
- A ruler marked in millimetres and, if available, callipers suited to the dimension being measured.
- The roll itself, its packaging and any supplier specification.
- The exact printer and holder manual.
- A note sheet or stock record with separate fields for each dimension.
Keep the printer switched off while inspecting its roll compartment and follow its manual. Measure the loose roll on a stable surface; do not put measuring tools into an operating printer. Record the date and whether the sample is new, partly used or empty.
1. Measure the label face and backing web
Label face: the individual sticker
Measure the sticker edge to edge, excluding exposed backing paper. Record the dimension across the feed path as width and the dimension along the feed path as length. Note the feed direction so another person can reproduce your reading.
Use exact millimetres rather than a rounded category name. The existing 4x6, A6 and 100 x 150mm size guide covers those naming differences; the measuring sheet here records the actual sample.
Backing web: the full material entering the printer
Measure across the full backing paper, including any exposed border beside the labels. Record this separately from the sticker width. When a manual gives a supported media-width range, do not substitute the printable label width without checking what that manual means by media.
A narrow label face does not prove that the entire web fits through the guides. Conversely, a web that fits mechanically does not prove that the printer can print the whole desired layout.
2. Measure the core's inner diameter
Place the roll on its side and measure across the inside opening of the core, through its centre. Record the inner diameter, not the outside of the cardboard tube. Do not force a spindle through a core that does not fit.
If using a ruler, align it with the opening rather than across a slanted edge. Callipers can help, but avoid squeezing or distorting a soft core. Repeat the reading across another direction if the core appears crushed or oval and note that condition.
Check the holder manual for the required core or adapters. A core measurement alone does not establish holder compatibility: the support arrangement, roll width and feed path also matter.
3. Measure the roll's outer diameter
Measure straight across the outside of the wound roll, through its centre, from one outer edge to the other. Do not measure around the circumference and call that reading the diameter. Keep the ruler square to the roll rather than diagonally across it.
Record whether the roll is new. A partly used roll is smaller than it was when supplied, so its present diameter cannot prove that a new replacement will fit an internal compartment. Ask for the new-roll outside diameter when that is the dimension needed.
Labels per roll are not a substitute for this measurement. Core size, material thickness, label pitch and winding can differ, so do not calculate an unknown outside diameter from the label count alone.
4. Record the gap, marks and winding direction
Inspect how individual labels are separated on the backing: a gap, black mark or another format described by the supplier. Measure the gap along the feed direction if the printer manual requires it. A perforation helps separation but does not, by itself, identify the sensing mode.
Note whether the printable face is on the inside or outside of the wound roll and how the web leaves the holder. Follow the printer's loading diagram. Do not assume that two rolls with matching face dimensions share the same sensing or winding arrangement.
Roll and fanfold are separate supply formats. For the broader workflow choice, see the roll versus fanfold guide.
A repeatable thermal-label roll worksheet
Copy these fields into your stock record. Leave an unknown field unconfirmed rather than filling it with a common size from another product.
| Field | Your roll or sample | Manual or supplier check |
|---|---|---|
| Printer model and holder arrangement | Record model and holder | Use the exact manual |
| Label face, width x length (mm) | Measure the sticker | Check layout and print area |
| Backing web width (mm) | Measure the full backing | Check supported media width |
| Core inner diameter (mm) | Measure the opening | Check holder or adapter requirements |
| Roll outer diameter (mm) | Record new or partly used | Confirm new-roll maximum fit |
| Gap or mark and feed direction | Record type and required dimensions | Check the supported sensing mode |
| Winding and printable-face direction | Record the roll arrangement | Compare the loading diagram |
| Specification source and date | Record supplier and sample condition | Resolve every missing fit field |
What the current Boxy roll listing confirms
Boxy's current thermal shipping-label listings include a direct thermal roll with a stated 100 x 150mm label face, 350 labels per roll, and 3-roll or 24-roll pack options. Those are separate facts from core opening and roll outside diameter.
The roll description checked for this guide does not state its core inner diameter, full backing width or new-roll outer diameter. Confirm those fields for the exact roll and your holder before ordering; this worksheet does not invent them or promise that the roll fits every thermal printer.
For the broader buying decision after measuring, use the thermal shipping-label selection guide. Receipt-paper dimensions belong to the separate EFTPOS paper-roll measuring guide, not this adhesive-label worksheet.
Before approving a replacement roll
- Match the exact printer and holder to the measured web, core and new-roll diameter.
- Confirm the label format, print method, sensing and loading direction.
- Set the layout to the exact label dimensions and follow the printer's calibration instructions.
- Print a test label at the intended scale and inspect its full layout before a batch.
- Keep the confirmed specification with the stock record for the next order.
A successful measurement is a record you can check, not a compatibility guarantee. Resolve missing fields with the supplier and the exact printer documentation, then test the approved combination in your own packing workflow.
