Label Template Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Preliminary Questions

1. What make and model label printer are they using?
2. What label size are they printing onto? (height, width)
3. What is the material of the label they are printing onto?
4. Can you, in detail, explain the problem they are facing?
5. Can you provide screenshots of the problem they are facing?
6. Can you provide the steps you have taken to try and resolve this already?
7. Can you provide a link to the label template config in their site as well as an entity ID that can be used for testing?
8. Does the label printer have the most recent drivers installed?

General Testing

1. VERY IMPORTANT:
   1. Ensure all printing page sizes are correct and the same:
      1. The page size is correct in the label template
      2. The page size is correct in the label printer preferences settings
         1. This is often defined under the “Stock” tab
      3. If applicable: The page size is correct on the printer specific interface driver
         1. Sometimes printers have their own software installed on the computer with its own page size settings.
2. Try opening the print in a PDF viewer and then printing from the PDF viewer (like Adobe Acrobat).
3. Need to move the content of the label up?
   1.  Add a “margin-top: -10px” to move the entire container up.
4. Need to move the content of the label down? 
   1. Add a “margin-top: 10px” to move the entire container down.
5. Printing an extra blank label?
   1. Reduce the “Label Height” in the “Page Setup” to be just a little smaller than the page height so an extra empty label isn’t printed.
6. Printing multiple labels has different spacing on the top after the first label is printed?
   1. Set the “body” to “margin: 0px”

Text Quality

1. Try changing the font to “Helvetica” (Or just a different font than what it’s already using).
2. Try making the font “Bold”.
3. Try increasing the font size incrementally.

Barcode/Scanner Quality

1. Increase the height of the barcode.
2. Remove any special characters from the barcode value.
3. Adjust printer settings:
   1. Adjust the “Speed” setting so it prints as slow as possible.
   2. Adjust the “Darkness” value. Usually increasing it helps.
   3. Check that the dimensions are correct.

Zebra Printers

1. If possible, try increasing the barcode “height” to 43px or more.
2. Try creating a custom Coded label template that prints the label using the JSBarcode library
   1. Check for examples in the “Examples” section below.
3. Adjusting the “height” and “width” in a “ratio” type of fashion seems to lead to clarity in the label.
   1. Example: I had it set up to “height: 30” and “width: 2” but it was too wide. So, I adjusted the width to “1” but then it was printing poor quality. I needed to adjust the height as well. What ended up working for me was “height: 18” and “width: 1”

Troubleshooting Examples

Troubleshooting Steps for Positioning Issues

1. Establish a Baseline
   • Start by testing with default or commonly used configuration values.
2. Test Extreme Configurations
   • Set X config to a very small value and observe the output.
   • Set X config to a very large value and observe the output.
3. Repeat for Other Configurations
   • Perform the same small and large value tests for all other relevant configurations.
4. Analyze the Results
   • Compare the outputs from different configurations.
   • Identify patterns or unexpected interactions between configuration values.
5. Optimize for the Desired Output
   • Determine the best combination of configurations to achieve the required positioning and quality.
   • Keep in mind that smaller width or height values may sometimes improve printer output quality.
6. Ensure Label Size is Correct
   • Always ensure that Label Size values are smaller than their corresponding Page Size values to avoid misalignment issues.

Troubleshooting Steps for Label Content Overflow Issues

1. Identify the Issue
   • Confirm that the content of the label is running off the margins or spilling into the next label.
   • Verify that the issue persists despite correctly setting the label dimensions.
2. Assess Troubleshooting Constraints
   • If troubleshooting remotely, recognize potential challenges (e.g., user’s technical knowledge, printer-specific quirks).
   • Request detailed information from the user to better diagnose the issue.
3. Verify Label Dimensions and Printer Settings
   • Double-check that the label size and margins are correctly configured.
   • Ensure that the printer is not overriding or misinterpreting the label dimensions.
4. Implement a Responsive Layout for the Label
   • Use a grid-based layout: Design the label using CSS grid to structure content properly.
   • Adjust content positioning:
     • If text runs off the top margin → Push content to the bottom of the grid cell.
     • If text overflows into the next cell → Implement automatic text shrinking.
     • If content runs off the right margin → Align text to the left within its cell.
5. Iterate and Test
   • Make incremental changes and test each adjustment to confirm improvements.
   • Utilize AI tools or coding assistance for rapid iteration and debugging.
6. Final Validation
   • Print test labels to verify the fixes.
   • Confirm with the end user that the issue is resolved across different print scenarios.