First of all, you need to know what type of label printer you are using. There are two types of printers commonly used today; inkjet and laser printers. Inkjets use a simple technique in printing where ink is dropped onto the paper. Laserson the other hand use a complex technique where static electricity in your image’s pattern is created and then tonersare infused with heat to produce the image. Inkjets are designed for small scale printing and recommended for home use while laser printers are designed for large scale printing and they cost more than inkjets. They are best used in a professional setting.
Printable labels are designed in a way that they can be printed in a label printer smoothly. However, just like any other machines, printing may not go as smoothly as intended and can get problematic. There are common label printing problems that most people experience and this article will highlight a few of them and tips on how to troubleshoot.
Toner flaking and Ink Smearing
If you experience ink smearing on an inkjet, it means that your standard print settings have been set too high and thus causes over saturation of the label paper. You need to reduce the standard print settings by opening the printer dialog box and selecting “Preferences” or “Properties”. Search for the “Quality/ Print Quality” option and make quality adjustments or lower the DPI.
On the other hand, experiencing toner flaking on a laser printer may be a sign that the label material is not bonding well with the toner because the material settings are too light. Fix the problem by opening the printer dialog and select the “Advanced options”. Select a drop down for paper type and choose a thicker material either “Cardboard” or “Labels”.
Scaling Hitches
If you notice that your printer is not scaling your label images as desired, it means that your designs are either stretched too tall or wide to fit the “Normal template”. You need to adjust the PDF viewer scale to print the original size of your label. Open the print dialog box and select “Print Actual Size” or “Print to page” option. You can also set the “Custom scale” option to 100%.
Print Outs do not Match the Screen
If you notice lines running through the label image or squares in the design, it means that that your document has images and fonts that your PDF viewer cannot process. You can fix the problem by opening up the Adobe Reader advanced print settings dialog box and search for the “Print as Image” button and check the box.
Paper Jams
This a common problem experienced on most printers. If you have used your printer for a while and you suddenly start experiencing paper jams, it may be as a result of a dusty feed path. To confirm whether this is the case, print on a plain paper and if you notice streaks then you need to contact your manufacturer for printer cleaning and maintenance. The other problem could be settings related. You can return your printer settings to the original settings and then try printing on a plain paper. If the paper goes through without jamming, then that means that the higher material setting is causing the jam.
