Avery Design & Print vs LabelForge

Avery Design & Print is a free web tool for designing labels and other printable Avery products. Start from a blank template or customize a prepared design, then add text and uploaded images. Image tools crop, size, and position uploads; text tools offer straight or curved lines and typography choices. For variable data printing, mail merge can import contact information and other data from .xls, .xlsx, and .csv files. Its barcode generator makes barcodes and QR codes and supports sequential numbering. Projects can be saved to a computer without an account, or to a free Avery account with one, and shared by email through project links. Google Drive can supply Google Sheets data for merging or Google Photos for a design. Print with an inkjet or laser printer, or use Avery WePrint to have a project professionally printed and mailed. Avery says its online design tools protect data in transit and storage with TLS and SSL and do not sell images or content.

LabelForge is a desktop app for designing labels and printing them as ZPL to Zebra printers. Its visual editor previews a label as you work and lets you select, move, resize, and grid-snap elements without editing JSON. Templates can combine text, lines, boxes, and barcodes including Code128, Code39, Code93, EAN-13, QR codes, and DataMatrix. For variable data, import a CSV to print one label per row, or scan a barcode to trigger printing. It connects to network printers over raw port 9100, Windows printers by name, and USB devices on Linux or Mac. ZPL is tested on physical hardware, including the listed ZD410; TSPL, EPL, CPCL, and EZPL are experimental and not verified on physical printers. Other programs can submit jobs through an HTTP server, a watched JSON folder, or the command line. The free plan costs nothing. LabelForge runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and requires Node.js 18 or later; version 20 or later is recommended.