troubleshooting guide
Fix every time i print a shipping label it gets cropped. 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
Repeated cropping is usually a reproducible mismatch, not bad luck. Check the source PDF page size, physical media, driver paper size, orientation and printable-area offset in that order; print a blank template after each change and never shrink the barcode merely to reveal a missing edge.
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 testWrite down the PDF page size, printer model, loaded paper or roll, driver media, orientation, scale and the exact edge that is missing. Changing several controls at once makes the crop difficult to reproduce and can hide the real cause.
The source PDF, print-dialog paper and physical media need a coherent path. A Letter page sent to 4×6 stock, or a 4×6 file sent through an old Letter preset, often clips even when the preview appears centered.
One consistent missing edge points to roll alignment, printable area or origin offset. A rotated crop points to orientation. Different edges across successive labels point to media guides, feed calibration or roll drift.
Print a matching blank template at the same settings. If the template crops too, fix printer setup. If only the shipping PDF crops, inspect its page box and regenerate or extract the label without changing barcode scale.
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.
A fixed edge usually means printable-area, driver-origin, media-guide or roll-alignment error.
That pattern points to feed calibration, loose guides or roll drift rather than the source PDF.
No as the first fix. It can hide a margin problem by reducing the entire barcode and label.
Print a blank template using the same paper and driver settings. If it also crops, the printer path is responsible.
After the blank template passes, reprint the original label and confirm every active element is complete.