Etsy shipping label only prints half — fix margins & scaling

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Windows 11/10, macOS (Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey), Printers, Thermal Labels, Networking

Etsy label prints half / cut off — Windows 10/Windows 11 or Mac — Zebra, Rollo, DYMO, Brother

Technician

Hi! We’ll fix your Etsy shipping label printing only half issue. Tell me: are you using a thermal label printer (e.g., Zebra, Rollo, DYMO 4XL, Brother QL) with 4×6 (100×150 mm) labels, or a regular inkjet/laser on Letter/A4? Also, which browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox) and OS (Windows 10/11 or macOS)?

Customer

Windows 11, printing Etsy labels on a Rollo. Labels are 4×6. The print preview looks fine but the label prints cut off on the right — like only half of the label.

Technician

Got it. When an Etsy label prints only half or is cropped/cut off, it’s almost always:
• Wrong paper size (printer set to Letter/A4 instead of 4×6 (100×150 mm)).
• Margins / non‑printable area not zero in the driver — the printer shifts content and crops.
• Scaling set to Fit to page, Shrink to fit, or a custom percentage ≠ 100%.
• Printing the browser preview instead of the PDF in the system dialog or in Acrobat with Actual size.
• Thermal printer not calibrated to detect label length (gap/mark), or wrong media type (Direct Thermal vs Thermal Transfer).

Customer

Where do I change paper size to 4×6 and set margins to zero in Windows?

Technician

Windows 10/11 — set 4×6 size, zero margins (Rollo/Zebra/DYMO/Brother):
1) Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Printing preferences.
2) Choose Paper/Quality or Advanced → set Paper Size = 4″x6″ (100×150 mm) (sometimes named Shipping Label 4×6).
3) Set Margins = 0 (Top/Bottom/Left/Right). If margin fields don’t exist, it’s handled by Non‑Printable Area = 0 or a Borderless toggle.
4) In the print dialog, set Scale = 100% or Actual size. Disable Fit to page / Shrink to fit.
5) Click Printer Properties → Device Settings and confirm Media Type = Direct Thermal and Label Size = 4×6.

Customer

I print from Chrome. Should I use the system dialog or Acrobat?

Technician

Best practice for Etsy PDF labels:
• In Etsy, choose Download PDF, open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, then print with Actual size (100%), Auto portrait/landscape, and Paper Size = 4×6.
• If printing from a browser, open the System Dialog (Ctrl+Shift+P) and set Scale = 100%, Paper Size = 4×6, and Margins = None. Also turn off Headers and footers so the label isn’t pushed off the edge.

Customer

My friend prints on a Mac with a Zebra ZD220. The label is tiny in the corner — then other times it’s chopped in half.

Technician

macOS — fix Etsy label cut off / tiny:
1) In any app, File → Print → click Show Details → set Paper Size = 4×6 (or create a custom 100×150 mm).
2) In the Layout / Paper Handling section set Scale = 100%, Margins = None. Uncheck Scale to fit paper size.
3) System Settings → Printers & Scanners → select the Zebra/Rollo/DYMO → Options & Supplies → Options → set the correct Label width and media type.
4) If the label prints half or skips, run a media calibration on the printer (detect gap/black mark) and re‑add the queue as the vendor driver if macOS used a Generic profile.

Customer

Sometimes Etsy generates 8.5×11 labels. Can I still print them on 4×6 without cutting off info?

Technician

Print Letter/A4 labels on 4×6 without cropping:
• If the file is designed for Letter (8.5×11), use Acrobat → Print → Poster / Tile or export a 4×6 PDF from Etsy when available.
• Many carriers provide both formats — choose 4×6 in Etsy’s shipping settings when buying the label.
• Avoid random scaling like 70–80% unless the preview shows the entire barcode and address inside the 4×6 frame; otherwise scanners may fail.

Customer

The first inch is blank and then it cuts the label. Is that calibration?

Technician

Yes — run label calibration:
Hold the feed button (pattern varies by model) to auto‑calibrate gap/black mark. In the driver, set Media Type = Gap (or Web sensing) and Sensor accordingly. Wrong detection causes half‑printed labels, double‑feeds, or an inch of blank space.

Customer

What about density? My USPS barcode is dark on the left but faded on the right.

Technician

Fix uneven or faded barcodes:
• Set Print Density (Darkness) to a mid‑high value and Speed moderate; too fast can cause stretched 1D/2D barcodes.
• Confirm Direct Thermal labels if you’re using a direct thermal printer. Thermal transfer ribbons need the matching mode.
• Update the printer firmware/driver and use official ZPL/EPL (Zebra) or native drivers (Rollo/DYMO/Brother).

Customer

We sometimes print from iPad Safari. The label scales weird and cuts off the bottom.

Technician

iPhone/iPad — avoid mobile scaling issues:
• Use the Etsy app to Download PDF and send to a desktop to print with correct paper size 4×6.
• If printing directly via AirPrint, choose the label printer and set Paper = 4×6 (not Letter). Some mobile dialogs hide scale controls — desktop print flows are more reliable.

Customer

Okay, I changed paper to 4×6 and set 100%. It still crops a few millimeters on the right edge.

Technician

Final tweaks for “prints half / cut off on right”:
• In Printer Preferences → Advanced, set Printable Area = Full (or Edge to edge) and Horizontal offset = 0.
• Verify Orientation = Landscape for 4×6 PDFs and Center image (if option exists).
• Run calibration again and reload the roll tightly against the guide; misalignment can shift print to the edge.
Still stuck? Open the chat and I’ll remote‑walk you through driver and Etsy settings to restore full 4×6 label printing.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when Etsy shipping label only prints half / cut off: set Paper Size = 4×6 (100×150 mm), Margins/Non‑printable area = 0, and Scale = 100% / Actual size. Print the PDF via System Dialog or Adobe Acrobat, not the browser quick preview. For thermal printers (Zebra/Rollo/DYMO/Brother), calibrate media and ensure Direct Thermal mode with correct gap/mark sensing.

FAQ

Step‑by‑step (Windows 10/11)

1. Open Printers & scanners → your printer → Printing preferences → set Paper Size = 4×6, Margins=None, Scale=100%.
2. In Printer properties → Device Settings, confirm Media = Direct Thermal, Label Size = 4×6.
3. Print the Etsy PDF in Adobe Acrobat with Actual size; or open the System Dialog in Chrome (Ctrl+Shift+P).
4. Run a label calibration if the first inch is blank or the cut is off.

Step‑by‑step (macOS)

1. Re‑add the printer with the vendor driver if macOS used a Generic profile.
2. In Printers & Scanners → Options, set the correct label width and media type.
3. In the print dialog (Show Details), set Paper = 4×6, Margins=None, and Scale=100%, then save as a preset.
4. Print from Acrobat with Actual size for consistent results.

Sources

• Etsy Help Center — Shipping labels
• Microsoft — Troubleshoot printer problems (Windows 10/11)
• Apple — Printing on Mac
• Zebra Support — Label printers & ZPL
• Rollo — Support
• DYMO — Support
• Brother — Label printers

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