Design nutrition facts labels on Zebra printers

Published: June 8, 2026 · 5 min read · Tutorial

Yes, you can design nutrition facts labels on a Zebra. Open the Nutrition Facts template, type the numbers you already have, add a UPC if you own one, print from Excel. This is a design panel, not an FDA filing and not a lab.

The FDA-style layout is already in the template: serving size at the top, calories, a % Daily Value column, ingredients at the bottom. You type the values. We do not calculate Daily Value from a recipe.

 What you'll need
 2" or 3" wide thermal labels (common sizes: 2x2, 2.25x1.25, 3x2, 4x3).
Zebra printer + Browser Print.
A spreadsheet with columns for: product_name, serving_size, calories, total_fat, sodium, ingredients, upc, etc.

 

Step 1: Load the nutrition facts template

Start with the pre-built panel

Open https://app.mylabelmaker.com. No signup. Left rail Templates, Retail, "Nutrition facts".

It already has the classic black-bordered panel, "Nutrition Facts" header, bold "Amount per serving", calories row, and the %DV column. The template is sized for common retail stickers.

Step 2: Pull numbers from Excel

Put a column name in curly braces

Edit the text and replace sample numbers with tokens that match your spreadsheet headers:

Product name at top: {{product}}
Serving size: {{serving}}
Calories: {{calories}}
Ingredients statement (usually at bottom): {{ingredients}}
Barcode value: {{upc}} (set barcode format to UPC-A or EAN-13)

Long ingredients lists benefit from the Auto-shrink checkbox in the properties popover (or top toolbar "More"). It will scale the font down just enough to fit the available width without wrapping awkwardly.

Typical nutrition panel layout with product name, dynamic numbers, full ingredients line, and a clean UPC barcode on the right. All fields are tokens driven from your product data.

Step 3: Load your product catalog as batch data

One design, dozens of SKUs

Prepare (or export) a spreadsheet with one row per finished good. Columns should include at minimum: product, serving, calories, fat, sodium, ingredients, upc.

In mylabelmaker open the Variables panel ({{ }} button), paste the CSV or the Google Sheet publish URL. The row navigator appears. Step through products and watch the entire panel + barcode update live.

Tip: Keep the source sheet as the one list of numbers. When a formula changes, update the sheet, reload the URL, and reprint the affected labels.

Open nutrition facts template

Nutrition facts sample from the free label maker — This is the nutrition facts template in the free app. Open it and swap in your own text.

Step 4: Handle long ingredients and small label sizes

Autoshrink + careful line breaks

Ingredients statements are often the longest element. Select the ingredients text element, open the "More" properties popover, and enable Auto-shrink to fit width. You can also set a minimum font size in the same popover so nothing becomes unreadable.

For very small labels (1.5x1 or 2x1) consider splitting the panel across two labels or using a condensed layout (some brands put the full facts on the back and a "see back" + calories highlight on the front).

Step 5: Print the batch and verify

With the navigator showing, Print becomes "Print N rows". Send the batch. The editor rasterizes at the printer's native DPI (use Auto-detect in printer settings), so the fine %DV hairlines and the UPC bars stay sharp on 203, 300, or 600 dpi Zebras.

Always print a test label for the first product and scan the UPC with a real scanner before the full run.

Good to know: This is a design panel, not an FDA filing and not a lab. You type the numbers you already have. Have a qualified person review values and rounding. We print what you designed.

Open the nutrition facts template

Type your numbers. Print from Excel. Design only. Free. No signup.