Build a workflow with an Excel/CSV source. In the workflow editor, add a Data Source node of kind Excel/CSV and switch on folder watching. Choose the folder.
AUTOMATION / EXCEL & CSV / WINDOWS & MACOS
Hot Folder Label Printing: Drop a File, the Labels Print
Watch a folder and print labels the moment an Excel or CSV file lands in it. One label per row, the right design, then the file is moved, renamed or deleted. Zebra, TSC, Toshiba, Epson.
FREE PLAN · NO CREDIT CARD · WINDOWS / MAC / LINUX / WEB
THE PROBLEM
Somewhere in your building a system already knows which labels need printing. The ERP exports a CSV every few minutes, the WMS writes a pick list, someone in the office saves a spreadsheet. Then a person opens that file, copies the rows into label software and presses print. That last step is the one that goes wrong: the wrong file, a skipped row, the same batch printed twice.
A hot folder removes the person from that step. You point LabelInn at a folder. When a new spreadsheet lands in it, every row becomes a label on the right printer, and the file is moved out of the way so it is never printed again.
📂 Your systems already write files. Let them print. No API project, no middleware: if it can save an .xlsx or .csv into a folder, it can print labels. Start free →
01 / HOT FOLDER
How it works
Wire it to a design. Column names bind to the label's variables by name, so a column called sku fills the sku field. Add a Router if different rows need different designs.
Choose the printer on the Print node. Pick it by hand, take it from a column in the file, or let LabelInn choose.
Decide what happens to the file afterwards. Move it to an archive folder, rename it with a suffix, delete it, or leave it where it is.
02 / WATCH FOLDER
What happens when a file lands
LabelInn scans each watched folder about every 12 seconds and looks for .xlsx, .xls and .csv files. A file counts as new when its path, modification time or size is one it has not seen before, so a file that is overwritten with fresh rows is picked up again, while a file that has already been handled is not.
Each row of the file runs through the workflow as its own record. That means everything a workflow can do applies per row: pick a design by product type, look up missing data in another source, skip rows that are not ready, send a notification when the batch is done.
| After printing | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Moves the file into an archive folder | You want a record of every file that printed |
| Rename | Appends a suffix to the file name | The exporting system expects files to stay in place |
| Delete | Removes the file | The data already lives in your ERP and the file is disposable |
| None | Leaves the file untouched | Another process cleans up; LabelInn still will not reprint it |
03 / AUTOMATION
Typical setups
- ERP or WMS export. The system writes a shipment or production file on a schedule; labels come out at the pack bench without anyone opening it.
- Office to warehouse. Someone in purchasing saves the goods-in list into a folder; receiving labels print in the warehouse.
- Machine or line output. Equipment that can save a CSV hands it to the label printer with no operator step.
- One growing file. If your process appends rows to a single spreadsheet instead of creating new files, the same Source node can watch that one file and print only the rows that were added.
04 / WORKFLOW
What you need
- Excel or CSV files.
.xlsx,.xlsand.csvare read directly. Systems that produce XML or JSON can send the same data to the REST API. - LabelInn on the machine that sees the folder. Windows or Mac, signed in, next to the folder your systems write to.
- Pro plan. Watched folders are part of Pro and above. See pricing.
05 / HOT FOLDER
Other ways to trigger printing
A hot folder is the right tool when files are what your systems produce. When they are not, the same workflow can start from a database table (new rows are watched), an API call, a marketplace order or a schedule. The overview is on thermal printer automation.
QUESTIONS / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is hot folder label printing?
A folder that LabelInn watches. When an Excel or CSV file is saved into it, each row is printed as a label using the design and printer set in a workflow, and the file is then moved, renamed or deleted so it is not printed twice.
Which file types can the hot folder read?
Excel (.xlsx and .xls) and CSV. Systems that produce XML or JSON can send the same data through the REST API.
How quickly does a dropped file print?
The folder is scanned about every 12 seconds, so a file starts printing within a scan interval of landing.
Does the computer need to stay on?
Yes. The watcher runs inside LabelInn on the machine that can see the folder, so LabelInn must be open and signed in there.
Will the same file print twice?
No. Files that have already been handled are remembered by path, modification time and size. A file is only printed again if its contents change.
KEEP GOING
Related
NEXT STEP / LABELINN
Turn a folder into a print queue
Point LabelInn at the folder your systems already write to, and let the labels print themselves. · Excel and CSV, one label per row · Archive, rename or delete after printing · Zebra, TSC, Toshiba, Epson and more