troubleshooting guide
Fix pirate ship label prints too small on a thermal printer. Check scale, paper size, margins, orientation and barcode whitespace before reprinting.
Best next step
Start with the tool or template that matches this guide before printing paid postage again.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15
Set Pirate Ship's label size to 4 × 6 before buying the label, select the 4 × 6 template at Print/Reprint, and choose matching 4 × 6 or 100 × 150 mm media in the computer print dialog. Use the scale behavior Pirate Ship shows for that template and test one label before shipping.
Symptom-led fix
Follow the symptom that best matches your bad print. Each step points to the safest next tool before you buy postage again.
A full Letter or A4 page is being fitted onto one 4×6 thermal label.
Inspect the PDF page box. Get the issuer's 4×6 format or extract only a complete label area; do not enlarge the miniature output.
Inspect the PDF pageA true 4×6 source prints proportionally smaller on matching 4×6 media.
Confirm 4×6 in the driver, disable Fit, print one blank template, then calculate a correction only if the media path already matches.
Measure the scale errorThe label boundary is correct, but fine lines are fuzzy, gray or broken.
Treat this as print quality, not page scale. Test density, speed, media and printhead condition before another live label.
Run a print-quality testPirate Ship's current settings guide says label size is selected under Settings > General Settings and applies to future purchases. A thermal workflow should start with the 4×6 account setting rather than shrinking a Letter layout after purchase.
When you open Print Label or Reprint Label, choose the template for the printer and label size. A wrong template can make the label too small, too large or cut off even when the physical roll is correct.
In the browser or system dialog, select 4 × 6, 100 × 150 mm or the equivalent driver code documented by Pirate Ship. If that media option is missing, reinstall the correct printer driver instead of compensating with scale.
Pirate Ship says a purchased label's size cannot be changed. Request a refund, switch the General Settings size, and create a replacement—using Duplicate Shipment to reuse the shipment details—when the source format itself is wrong.
This page is a practical print-setting checklist, not official carrier policy or a promise that a label will be accepted.
Confirm the current format in your platform or carrier account, keep the original PDF, and stop if a test print is cropped, blurred or incorrectly scaled.
Troubleshooting advice is general. Record the printer model, paper size, PDF viewer and scale setting so you can verify each change.
The account label size, Print/Reprint template or computer paper size probably does not match the thermal roll.
Pirate Ship documents Settings > General Settings, and says the choice applies to future label purchases.
Choose 4 × 6, 100 × 150 mm or the equivalent option supplied by the installed printer driver.
Follow Pirate Ship's current template-specific guidance; it documents Fit to Page / Scale to Fit or 100% in different print workflows. Verify one physical test instead of relying on a universal rule.
Pirate Ship says to refund it, change the label-size setting, and create a replacement. Do not use the refunded label.
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Check paper, scale and orientation before printing.
Download a blank 4×6 shipping label template.
Fix tiny labels, scaling problems and bad print settings.