Why labels print out of line, and how to make them fit.
Labels drift when a printer scales the page or the paper size is wrong. How the Label maker's test page and its move setting fix it.
By Suraj Kumar3 min read
Labels that creep down the sheet are almost always scaled. Here is how to find out and fix it.
Scaling is the usual cause.
If the print dialog shrinks the page to fit the printer's margins, everything moves towards the middle and the gap grows down the sheet. Print at 100% or Actual size with Fit to page off, on the paper size the sheet is made for: Letter labels on A4 paper, or the reverse, drift the same way.
Check with a test page.
Download the test page and print it on plain paper. Its ruler should measure exactly 100 mm, or 4 inches on Letter; if not, the printer is scaling. Hold it over a sheet against a window to see whether the outlines sit on the labels.
Move them if the printer is off.
Some printers print a millimetre or two off. Under More options, move the labels right or down by half millimetres, and keep the move on this device if you want it next time.
Further reading
Topics: label maker · labels not lining up · label alignment · print labels · label template · address labels
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