Comparison

Autoprinter vs The Auto Print

You don't need PrintNode to auto-print Shopify orders with Autoprinter: its own Desktop Utility does the printing. The Auto Print prints through a PrintNode account that you open and connect yourself.

The Auto Print is a Shopify app by add-ons.org that prints orders automatically through PrintNode, a separate cloud printing service. You connect your own PrintNode account, pick one printer and one default template, and choose which order events print.

If you already use PrintNode and print one kind of document on one printer, The Auto Print may be all you need. Autoprinter also sends each document to the printer that matches its paper, and prints the shipping labels you buy in Shopify with zero clicks.

Facts as of October 24, 2026

Why choose Autoprinter over The Auto Print

  • No print service to sign up for. Autoprinter's own Desktop Utility does the printing, so there is no PrintNode account or second plan.
  • Zero-click shipping labels. Buy a label in Shopify as usual and it comes out of your label printer, with no print dialog.
  • The right printer for every document. Each template's paper size picks the printer, so sheets, 4 × 6 labels and receipts each go to their own, on one computer or several.
  • Bulk printing you can track. Send many orders' documents from the Shopify orders list at once, and follow every job in Print History.

At a glance

The Auto Print and Autoprinter compared, topic by topic
Topic The Auto Print Autoprinter
Print service Through PrintNode. You open a PrintNode account, run the PrintNode client on a computer connected to your printer, and paste your PrintNode API key into the app. The app says your Shopify plan covers The Auto Print only, and that PrintNode has its own included prints and charges. Its App Store listing also mentions an optional desktop app; the installed Shopify app offers only the PrintNode connection. No separate print service. Autoprinter's own Desktop Utility prints each document on your Windows or macOS computer, so there is no second account or plan to manage. You pair the computer with a code from the app.
Shipping labels Its App Store listing says it prints shipping labels to local thermal printers. The installed app has no shipping label settings, and its documentation doesn't say how it gets a label you bought in Shopify. Zero-click. Buy a label in Shopify, click Print shipping label as usual, and it comes out of your label printer with no print dialog. Needs Google Chrome with the Autoprinter Chrome Extension; you keep buying labels in Shopify.
Printers and paper sizes One target printer and one default template for the store, set on the app's Connection page. Its App Store listing mentions multiple devices and printers. Paper: 58 mm or 80 mm thermal rolls, A4, A5, Letter or a custom size in millimetres. Every document comes out of the right printer. Each template has a paper size, and the paper size picks the printer, so sheets, 4 × 6 labels and receipts each go to their own. Paper sizes are Letter, A4, 4 × 6 in thermal labels, and 80 mm or 58 mm receipt rolls. Pair a Print Station on each computer, and Print Rules send each document to the right one.
Bulk printing One order at a time: from the order page (More actions, then Print with The Auto Print), or by previewing an order in the Template Editor and printing from your browser. We found no bulk print action in the Shopify orders list's Print menu or More actions. Select orders in the Shopify orders list and send all their documents to your printers at once, or open one combined preview and print it from your browser. A single order prints from its order page.
Choosing a document per order Rules decide whether an order prints. A rule can match payment method, shipping method, billing or shipping country code, order total, item count, product ID, collection ID or tag, and orders can match all rules or any rule. Print Rules choose which template prints, and on which Print Station, for each order. A rule can match more than 15 order details, such as sales channel, tags, SKU, product collection, fulfillment location, ship-to country and order total.
Templates Three sample templates: a thermal receipt, an invoice and a packing slip. The editor sets the store logo URL, name, address, phone, header and footer text, and shows or hides the logo, customer note, prices, a barcode and a QR code. The installed app has no HTML editing. Built-in packing slips, invoices, pick slips, return slips and gift receipts you set up with switches and drop-downs, no code, plus 30+ sample templates. Or write your own in HTML and CSS with Handlebars-style variables. No limit on the number of templates, on any plan.
Document languages The installed app has no language setting. Six languages built in. Built-in templates print in English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch or Italian and lay out addresses for each destination country. Dates and prices follow the region you choose on every template. The app's own screens are in English.
Print history and alerts The installed app has no print history page. Its pages are Connection, Triggers & Rules, Templates, Template Editor, Plan & Billing and Support. Its support page asks for the PrintNode job ID when a job fails. Know when printing stops. Print History lists the documents queued for your Print Stations, with each job's status. Autoprinter warns you when a Print Station stops picking up jobs, and a Shopify Flow trigger can run when a Print Station goes offline.
Shopify Flow and Sidekick Not described in its App Store listing or documentation. Works with both. Six Flow actions print an order's Print Chain, packing slip, invoice, return slip or gift receipt, or one pick list for your open orders. Four Flow triggers run when a document prints, a print fails, a Print Station goes offline or you near your monthly order limit. Sidekick answers questions about your order allowance, your printers and what printed.
Orders split across locations Not described in its App Store listing or documentation. One packing slip per location. An order split across fulfillment locations gets a packing slip for each location, listing only that location's items, or one set for the whole order if you pack in one place.
Price Free for 20 order print jobs a month. Pro is $9.99 every 30 days or $99.99 a year for unlimited app print jobs, with the first 7 days free. Automatic printing also needs PrintNode, which counts each print request to its API: its free plan includes 50 prints a month on 1 computer, and paid plans start at $9 a month for 5,000 prints on 3 computers. Counts orders, not prints: an order counts once however many documents it prints, and printing from your browser never counts. Free for 50 orders a month. Basic is $10 a month for 500 orders, Pro $30 for 2,500, and Unlimited $100 for unlimited orders. Every feature is on every plan, so there is no trial: start on Free and upgrade when you need more orders.
Automatic printing When an order is created, paid, fulfilled or cancelled. When an order is placed, paid or fulfilled; you pick the trigger and turn it on in Settings. Shopify Flow can print on other order events, such as a cancellation.
Shopify POS One setting, POS enabled, also auto-prints orders placed through Shopify POS. In-store POS sales print automatically on a Windows or macOS computer at the store (not on the POS device, phone or tablet), for example a kitchen ticket on a receipt printer, with each location's tickets sent to that location's printer. Automatic printing can skip them instead.

"Not described" means The Auto Print's App Store listing and documentation, cited below, don't mention it. It is not a statement that The Auto Print can't do it. Every other The Auto Print fact comes from those pages or from the app as installed on a Shopify store.

When The Auto Print may be enough

  • You already use PrintNode, and one printer with one default template covers what you print.
  • You want a cancelled order to print from the app's own settings, without setting up a Shopify Flow workflow.

When Autoprinter fits better

  • You'd rather not open and pay for a separate print-service account. The Desktop Utility does the printing.
  • You buy shipping labels in Shopify and want them to come out of your label printer with zero clicks.
  • You print on more than one kind of paper, or from more than one computer. Sheets, 4 × 6 labels and receipt rolls each go to their own printer.
  • You want Print Rules to choose a different template for each order, built-in templates in six languages, or your own HTML and CSS templates.
  • You print in bulk from the Shopify orders list, and want to see every queued job in Print History.

Autoprinter and The Auto Print: common questions

Autoprinter works with the printers your Windows or macOS computer already uses, and every feature is on every plan, including Free.

  1. Do I need PrintNode to auto-print Shopify orders?

    Not with Autoprinter: it prints through its own Desktop Utility on your Windows or macOS computer, so you don't need an account with a separate print service. The Auto Print prints through PrintNode: you open a PrintNode account, run the PrintNode client on a computer connected to your printer, and paste your PrintNode API key into the app.

  2. What do I need to install to use Autoprinter?

    Install the Autoprinter Desktop Utility on a Windows or macOS computer to print straight to your printers, automatically or in bulk. It prints to any printer that computer can already print to; keep it awake while you print. Shipping labels also use the Autoprinter Chrome Extension in Google Chrome. Printing from your browser needs nothing installed.

  3. Is Autoprinter free?

    Yes, for up to 50 orders a month sent to your printers, with every feature and no card needed. Printing from your browser never counts. Paid plans start at $10 a month for 500 orders.

  4. Can The Auto Print print orders in bulk?

    We found no bulk print action in the Shopify orders list's Print menu or More actions; it prints one order at a time, from the order page or by previewing an order in its Template Editor. Autoprinter sends many orders' documents to your printers at once from the Shopify orders list, or builds one combined preview to print from your browser.

  5. Can Autoprinter print when an order is cancelled?

    Not from the Automatic Printing setting, which runs when an order is placed, paid or fulfilled. A Shopify Flow workflow that starts when an order is cancelled can run an Autoprinter print action; turn on Print again if already printed when the order printed earlier.

  6. Can Autoprinter print the shipping labels I buy in Shopify?

    Yes, with zero clicks: click Print shipping label as usual and the label comes out of your label printer. You keep buying labels in Shopify at Shopify Shipping rates; Autoprinter doesn't sell labels. Label capture works in Google Chrome on a computer.

See every Autoprinter comparison, or how to auto-print Shopify orders.

Sources

Facts as of October 24, 2026. The Auto Print and PrintNode details come from these pages, all checked October 24, 2026:

  • The Auto Print on the Shopify App Store: apps.shopify.com/the-auto-print
  • The Auto Print documentation: theautoprint.com/documentation
  • The Auto Print app as installed on a Shopify store: its Connection, Triggers & Rules, Templates, Template Editor, Plan & Billing and Support pages, and the Shopify orders list and order page menus
  • PrintNode plans and pricing: printnode.com/en/pricing

Autoprinter details come from the Autoprinter help center. The Auto Print is an app by add-ons.org. PrintNode is a separate print service. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc.

Try it

Try Autoprinter free.

Free for 50 orders a month, with every feature. No card needed.

Install Autoprinter from the Shopify App Store Read the help center