Printing the PBS wrapper involves downloading the .pdf file with the address (OR clicking the backup wrapper link to view a printable webpage with the address on it) and printing it. You can also choose the "hand-write" option, to view the address without printing or downloading,

To download the .pdf file:

• You will need a .pdf reader installed on your computer.   Get the free . 

• Then Go to My Account and click on the (accepted) request for the book.
  • This will take you to the Wrapper Settings page, where you can choose the layout of your wrapper and add PBS-DC if you like.
• Choose the layout of your wrapper.
  • Choices 1 and 2 are 2-page wrappers.  These can be used to wrap a typical single-book shipment.
  • Choice 3 is a one-page address label.  This is intended to be used as a label with alternate packaging.  The one page label is not adequate by itself to wrap a book.
• Choose to print postage onto your wrapper OR choose no extra services
  • To print postage (with tracking) onto the wrapper: click the (top, green) radio button next to the Postage option
    • You have to have PBS Money in your account to print postage
    • The fee is 55 cents (which includes the Instant Credit fee and the fee paid to endicia.com, our online postage provider). 
    • Postage can't be refunded after it is printed/downloaded, so be sure you will use this wrapper before you print. (You will be offered a chance to confirm before printing)
    • Printed postage includes tracking and gives Instant Credit and a "Free Swap" (free Swap Fee) when you mark the book mailed.
    • The "Free Swap" allows you to request another book for yourself using Book Credit only without paying the 49-cent swap fee in future (if you are an A la Carte or Limited Member who has used all his/her swap fees/Free Swaps).
  • You can choose No extra services if you like.
    • You do not have to have PBS Money in your account to print with no extra services.
    • You will need to apply postage to your wrapper if you choose to print with no extra services. Note that the postage estimation is NOT always correct - it usually is but not always - so you need to adjust the estimated weight (see below) to get the correct postage.
• Adjust the weight of the book in the spaces provided, if needed. 
  • This will determine the postal class rate that prints out. It is especially important to be accurate here if you are using printed postage.  7 ounces and under will print as First Class; over 7 ounces will print as Media mail.
  • Choose Wrapped/Unwrapped. The weight you enter will be taken as the weight of the unwrapped book, by default; the system will then add a little (0.6 ounces) for the weight of packaging materials before calculating the postage.  You can choose the "wrapped" option if you have the weight of the already-wrapped book - if you choose that, the 0.6 ounces will not be figured into the system's postage calculation.
• Choose your postmark if you are using printed postage.
  • It is important to choose the date properly--you do need to mail the book by that date. You cannot change the postmark date after you have downloaded/printed the wrapper.
  • If you mail AFTER that date, you can go to the PO and have a new metered $0.00 strip with that day's date applied to the package.
  • See FAQs about Printable Postage for more information about this.
• Scroll down and click
  • You will see the option to download or open or cancel; choose open to download and open the file so you can print it.
  • If the file does not download, click the link for the backup wrapper under the Print Wrapper Now button.

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer, you may see a yellow alert bar at the top of your browser telling you that the download was blocked, with the message: "To help protect your security, Internet Explorer blocked this site from downloading files to your computer. Click here for options ..."  To download that wrapper, click on the link; then choose Download File, then select Open.  

You can avoid doing this for every wrapper (change your Internet Explorer settings to enable downloads) as follows:  In Internet Explorer, Click Tools > Internet Options, then choose the Security tab, and then Custom Level.  Then scroll to the Downloads section of the list, and under Automatic prompting for file downloads, click Enable.   To turn off the Information bar for ActiveX controls, scroll to the ActiveX controls and plug-ins section of the list, and then, under Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls, click Enable.  Click OK, click Yes, then click OK again.

To Print:

• When the .pdf file has opened on your computer screen, print it as you would any other document.
  • If you have chosen to print with postage, do not choose "scale to fit" if this option is offered to you while printing,  as "Scale to fit" may distort the barcode and make it unreadable.

• If you used the backup wrapper link, print the wrapper from the webpage you are taken to.

To Hand-Write the address:

• Click the "Print Wrapper" button on the request
• On the page that comes up, scroll down and choose the "hand write" option on the wrapper settings page
• You can copy that address onto your package
• IMPORTANT:
  • Mark your package MEDIA MAIL or you will be charged (much more expensive) Priority postage
  • Include the Request ID # in the return address portion of your address label. This comes in really handy!

Remember to come back and mark the book "mailed" before the deadline to do so!

Note: until the address information is accessed from a transaction, the button will be non-functional. You will know you have accessed the address information when the Print Wrapper button text turns green.

Related Links:

Printing Troubleshooting Tips
Does the postage print out on the wrapper?
Can I hand-write the address to send a book?
I forgot the postage!
The postage on my wrapper is/was wrong!
Wrapping a Trade Paperback Using the PBS Wrapper