How to Customize and Print Packing Sheets/Labels
GrownBy allows for CSV or PDF exports of packing sheets, in addition to simply displaying the packing information in the distributions tab on the site/app. The PDF gives you one order/ per page but you may wish to print your orders in a different format because:
- You want to save paper
- You need to customize the fields on your packing slips
- You want sticky labels to attach to your boxes or bags
We recommend that you use a mail merge program/browser extension to convert the CSV file to the format of your choice. You can then print to labels or simply to plain paper and cut the sheets apart.
This article will walk you through the process of converting your Packing Sheets to whatever format works for your farm using the Avery tool.
There are many tools and utilities both for mail merge and label printing. In this example, we use Avery Design and Print, a free utility available here. For google drive users, there is also an Avery Label Merge extension for google sheets. It is available as a free trial for 30 labels at a time and up to 20 merges. Beyond that, it is $29/year. If you need further recommendations about what tools to use, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for advice. If you have a utility that you love for this purpose, we’d like to hear about that, too!
The first step is to export a CSV from GrownBy. First, navigate to the Distributions Tab on your dashboard and click Packing Sheets. Then, click Export to CSV:
The CSV may take a few moments to generate and then will be downloaded to your downloads folder (or another location on your computer depending on your settings).
From here, you can go directly to the Avery site and begin to create your sheets/labels. Click Start Your Design and then follow the steps to create an account:
There are four steps to set-up your sheets/labels: Choose Template, Choose Design, Customize, Preview & Print:
First, you’ll choose a template from Avery’s library. There are many options but the chart below shows some common sizes you might want to use:
Next, you will choose your Design. You could use a custom graphic with your logo or you can just choose a blank design. For the purposes of this example, we’ll go with a blank design:
In step 3, click Import Data on the left hand side of your screen. Then click Start Import/Merge:
Click browse for file and select the CSV you downloaded from GrownBy. Click open. First deselect the checkbox at the top of the screen to make it so your column titles will not print. From here, you can choose which data is relevant to your farm. For this example, we’ve selected Date, First and Last Name, Location or Zone, Number of Items, and Items. Click next:
On the next screen, you will arrange your fields. Double-click or Drag & Drop to arrange your sheets/labels in a way that works for you! You may choose to include standard text in each sheet/label, such as the name of your farm or other details that apply to all sheets/labels. When you’re done, click next:
On the next screen, take note of the ability to edit all of your sheets/labels at once or to edit them one at a time and then click finish. You can then make any changes you need to make and when you’re ready, click preview and print.
On the next screen, click Get PDF to Print, save your project with a name, and then follow the prompts until you can click open PDF. You can now print your sheets/labels directly from your browser:
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact support@grownby.app or schedule a time to talk with us here!
Related Articles
Printing Order Labels with GrownBy -- Thermal and Inkjet/Laser Printing
In a past article and video, we covered how to turn your sign-in sheets into printable labels. That process still works but as of version 3.7.2, GrownBy allows for direct printing of a variety of label sizes on both thermal and deskjet/inkjet ...Distributions Menu
The distributions menu gives you all of the information you need to get your products to the customers who ordered them. This article explains what is available on the distributions menu with information about the: Daily Summary, Location Summary, ...How Customized Shares Work in GrownBy
New for 2024-2025, GrownBy offers customizable shares for shoppers. For a quick overview of customizable shares, take a look at our FAQ. The following article dives deeper into customizable shares and how to set them up. How it works Customizable ...App-Based Sign-In and Managing Distributions
Managing Distributions When it’s time to deliver your products, GrownBy has many options to help you keep tabs on the process. GrownBy offers a couple of different options for managing Sign-in sheets/record keeping during your distributions. Our ...Share Templates
How to use share templates Share templates are a way to group together similar types of shares for CSA farmers. They allow you to offer a variety of shares but streamline how shares appear in reports. Templates must be created BEFORE creating the ...