CBP secondary review disposition prints unreadable code — make the notice legible on one page

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Windows 11/10, Printers, PDF/Acrobat, Chrome/Edge/Safari, PCL/PostScript drivers

CBP disposition prints unreadable code — garbled characters, barcode cut off, A4 vs Letter mismatch, Chrome scale 95–97%, Acrobat “Fit/Print as Image”

Technician

Hi! We’ll make your CBP secondary review disposition print readable — no unreadable code, no clipped disposition code, and the barcode intact on one page.
Quick questions to target the fix: Are you printing directly from Chrome/Edge or from a downloaded CBP PDF in Adobe Acrobat? What’s the paper size (A4 or Letter) and printer brand (HP/Canon/Epson/Brother)? Is it garbled text (strange symbols/mojibake) or just cut off at the bottom?

Customer

Windows 11 + Chrome to an HP LaserJet. The CBP disposition shows legibly on screen, but the printout has garbled characters and the bottom barcode line is clipped — looks like unreadable code.

Technician

Understood. Two issues might overlap:
• A4 vs Letter mismatch + browser headers/footers → pushes the barcode onto page 2 or clips it.
• Driver/font problem — some LaserJets with PCL6 misrender PDF text as unreadable/garbled code. Printing via Acrobat with Fit or Print as Image, or switching to a PostScript driver, fixes it.
We’ll do a quick browser-scale pass, then the reliable Acrobat rasterize path.

Customer

Where do I change the Chrome settings? I don’t see “fit to page”.

Technician

Step 1 — Chrome/Edge one-page print
1) Press Ctrl+P → More settings.
2) Paper size: set to A4 (outside US) or Letter (US).
3) Toggle Headers and footers Off to regain space.
4) Scale: start at 96% (adjust 95–97% until the disposition code and barcode fit).
5) Margins: Default (or Minimum if the bottom is still clipped).
If the preview still shows 2 pages, click Print using system dialog… (Ctrl+Shift+P) and force A4/Letter in the driver.

Customer

Scale 96% fixed the split, but text is still unreadable in spots — random symbols.

Technician

Step 2 — Download and print via Adobe Acrobat
• Save the page as PDF (Destination → Save as PDF) or download the official PDF if provided by CBP.
• Open in Adobe Acrobat/Reader → Print: choose Fit or Shrink oversized pages and set paper to A4/Letter.
• If the output is still garbled/unreadable, click Advanced → enable Print as Image. This bypasses driver font issues and fixes mojibake-like symbols.
• Keep Orientation: Portrait. Optional: Choose paper source by PDF page size if the file is tagged correctly.

Customer

“Print as Image” worked! But is there a permanent driver fix so Chrome prints cleanly too?

Technician

Yes. Many HP LaserJet and other models resolve unreadable PDF text by switching drivers:
• If you use PCL6, try the vendor’s PostScript (PS) or the HP Universal Print PS driver.
• If you’re on PS, try the latest PCL6 or the Class/IPP driver.
Also disable experimental options like “Rasterize/Optimize for text” and ensure the queue paper size defaults to A4/Letter so scaling remains consistent.

Customer

We sometimes print on a Mac too. Safari shows the CBP notice but prints tiny or clipped. Any Mac advice?

Technician

Step 3 — macOS (Safari/Preview)
• File → Print → Show Details → Paper: A4/Letter, uncheck Headers and footers.
• Scale 95–97%, Orientation: Portrait.
• If rendering is fuzzy or symbols appear, export to PDF and print from Preview or Adobe Acrobat with Scale to Fit → Entire Paper or Advanced → Print as Image.
• AirPrint sometimes forces Letter; set A4 in System Settings → Printers & Scanners or install the vendor driver.

Customer

Does borderless or duplex matter for the CBP printout?

Technician

Borderless can slightly enlarge content and cause clipping; stick to standard with Margins: Default. Turn Duplex off for the proof so you get “1 of 1”. Keep Background graphics off to reduce page height.

Customer

After switching to PS driver and printing via Acrobat Fit, everything is clear and on one page. Anything else?

Technician

Final checks for CBP secondary review disposition prints unreadable code:
• Verify disposition code, name, date/time, and barcode are fully visible at 100% zoom in the PDF.
• Ensure print dialog shows 1 page; if not, headers/footers or paper size are still wrong.
• Keep a PDF copy for records. Need help mapping these options to your HP/Canon/Epson/Brother driver? Open the chat.

Customer

Looks perfect now — readable and one page. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: For a CBP secondary review disposition that prints unreadable code or gets clipped, set the correct A4/Letter paper, turn headers/footers off, use Chrome/Edge scale 95–97%, and print the CBP PDF from Adobe Acrobat with Fit or Print as Image. If the browser still garbles text, switch the printer driver (PCL ↔ PS). Need a hand? Start a chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when a CBP secondary review disposition prints unreadable code: set A4 or Letter correctly, disable headers/footers, apply Scale 95–97% in Chrome/Edge, or print the CBP PDF from Adobe Acrobat using Fit or Print as Image. Switch PCL/PS drivers for a permanent cure.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows 11)

1. Chrome/Edge → More settings → set Paper to A4 or Letter (match your region).
2. Turn Headers and footers Off; set Margins to Default.
3. Set Scale to 96% (adjust 95–97% as needed).
4. If text is garbled → Save as PDF, open in Adobe Acrobat → Fit or Advanced → Print as Image.
5. For a permanent fix, try the vendor PostScript or latest PCL6 driver.

Step-by-step (macOS)

1. Safari → File → Print → Show Details → Paper A4/Letter; uncheck Headers and footers.
2. Set Scale 95–97%; Orientation: Portrait.
3. If text is unreadable or clipped → export PDF → print from Preview/Acrobat with Scale to Fit or Print as Image.

Sources

• Google Chrome — Print settings & scale
• Adobe Acrobat — Page sizing, Fit & Print as Image
• Apple — Print PDFs with Preview on Mac

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