Print TroubleshootingSetting up a 4×6 thermal printer (and fixing blank, faded or misaligned labels)
Get a 4×6 thermal label printer printing perfectly, plus fixes for the most common problems: blank labels, faded print, and labels that skip or drift.
On this page
A 4×6 thermal printer is the single best upgrade for a growing shop: no ink, no toner, no scissors, and a label in about a second. Thermal printers use heat to darken special paper, which makes them simple — but a few settings have to be just right. This guide covers first-time setup and the fixes for nearly every problem we hear about.
Before you start
- Direct thermal labels, 4×6 inches (sometimes sold as 4×6 or 100×150 mm). Standard sticker paper won't work.
- The driver from your printer manufacturer's website. Don't rely on the generic driver your computer installs automatically.
- A USB cable or Wi-Fi connection, depending on your model.
Set up the printer
- 1Install the manufacturer's driver
Download the latest driver for your exact model and operating system, run the installer, then plug in the printer when it asks.
- 2Load the labels
Feed labels with the printable side facing up (or toward the print head — check the diagram inside the lid). Fanfold stacks sit behind the printer; rolls go on the spindle.
- 3Calibrate
Most 4×6 thermal printers auto-calibrate when labels are loaded. If yours doesn't, hold the feed button until it beeps or feeds a few labels. Calibration teaches the printer where each label starts and ends.
- 4Set the paper size to 4×6
Open your computer's printer preferences (on Windows: Printers & scanners → your printer → Printing preferences; on macOS: choose the printer in the print dialog and pick the paper size). Create or select a 4 × 6 in paper size.
- 5Tell Octoship you use a thermal printer
Go to Settings → Printing and choose 4×6 thermal. Octoship will now generate labels at exactly the right size.
- 6Print a test label
Click Print test label on the same settings page. It's free and doesn't create a real shipment.
ScreenshotBrowser print dialog settings
Even with the right driver, your browser can quietly shrink or shift the label. In the print dialog, open More settings and check these:
| Setting | Set it to |
|---|---|
| Printer | Your thermal printer (not “Save as PDF”) |
| Paper size | 4 × 6 in |
| Scale | 100% / Actual size — never “Fit to page” |
| Margins | None |
| Headers and footers | Off |
| Orientation | Portrait |
Fixing common problems
Labels come out completely blank
Almost always the labels are upside down or aren't direct thermal. Scratch a label quickly with your fingernail: if a dark mark appears, that's the printable side, and it should face the print head. If no mark appears on either side, the labels aren't thermal paper.
Print is faded or patchy
Increase Darkness (sometimes called Density) in the driver preferences a few steps at a time, and lower Print speed if your model allows it. If one stripe is consistently faint, gently clean the print head with an isopropyl alcohol wipe and let it dry fully.
Labels skip, print across two labels, or drift
Recalibrate the printer, and confirm the paper size is exactly 4 × 6 in both the driver and the browser dialog. If a blank label feeds out after every print, the driver paper size is probably slightly larger than the label.
Label is tiny or cut off
Your scale isn't 100%, or the paper size is set to Letter. See labels printing cut off or too small for a full walkthrough.
Still not printing?
Send us a message with your printer model, operating system, browser, and a photo of the printed label. Problems with label sizing are usually solved in one reply. New to Octoship? Start with how to print your first label.
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