Shipping Label Generates Off Center Causing Dymo to waste labels

[thrifty_yinzer]

Every time I generate a shipping label it is off center. It doesnt matter what browser I use or if I use the in browser printing screen or Adobe. It is always more to the left and top. For a while this didn't bother me because all the information was there but lately it has been causing the printer to print the label then continue to burn through another one and a half labels just pushing them out blank. Then I have to take the labels out and put them all back in to do my next label. Its killing me.  Again I have used multiple browsers and printing software. This issue is coming from Ebay. The labels are not being generated properly. PLEASE HELP!!!!

[gopetersen]

You're right, they are off-center. I noticed it too.

I don't print directly from eBay's label generator, I Save to EPS file and "place" in a desktop-publishing program (or word-processor), so I have more control over how it prints.

But they SHOULD create it centered so it prints properly.

[berserkerplanet]

The label you show above is not centered, and esthetically not perfect, but is usable - none of the info is missing and USPS doesn't nitpick about missing borders.

The printer preferences you select for labels are pointers to size and layout templates Pitney Bowes uses to determine scaling, margins, and content placement on the labels for specific printers.

It is possible that they have gotten it wrong, but I'd think very unlikely - that sort of error would affect thousands of users that print thermal labels, and I've only ever seen less than a half dozen complaints total.

What DYMO printer model do you have, and is it the model you chose in the printer preferences? Or did it not appear in the choices and you chose something close?

Have you tried experimenting with some of the other DYMO (or even other thermal printer) choices on the printer preferences dialog to see if any of them produce correct results?

[rfmtm]

From your screen shot, I assume you are using the Dymo 4XL.

In the ebay printer setup, did you choose the Zebra LP2844 label format?

Also make sure the Dymo's printer preferences are set to the correct label.

Make sure you open PDF files with Adobe and not the browser's built in reader.  Then when the print preview opens, make sure Size is set to Actual and Orientation is set to Auto.  The label should be with in the outline shown.

If still a problem come back with OS, browser, and printer type you are using.  A screen shot of the entire label preview will also help.

[berserkerplanet]

General Comment to ALL about redaction:
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The obscuring on the image above is ineffective if privacy was the goal.


Tracking barcode:
If any part of a barcode line is visible it can be either read or the barcode reconstructed enough to be decoded - in this case it was directly decodable by software with no manipulations, and trackable at USPS.com

If any of the bars of the Code 128 tracking barcode were completely obscured image software and probably most barcode scanners would then fail to read it, but many, many need to be obscured completely to really redact the info - the barcode is sequential, each 3bar/3space sequence is a 2 digit number portion of the tracking number, each sequence is always 11 units wide so missing bars can be inferred, and the check symbol, if not obscured could also be used to help reverse engineer missing bars (guess at missing bars using 11 wide rule, compute checksum, check against check symbol, repeat). I manually decoded the first 6 digits of the full 30 digit tracking number from the image of the barcode using a lookup table. PITA, but doable.

Other than obtaining entire tracking number to be able to track the shipment, only info of interest would be destination zipcode embedded in there, and that already shows in plaintext in destination address if readable.


Human readable tracking number:
Looks completely obscured but a couple of digits inferable, and all 20 digits completely reveled with a quick gamma adjust.


2D datamatrix barcode:
Upper right of label was not directly decodable, but it looks like a few minutes of image editing *might* be enough to make it so. (there isn't really anything in that barcode of concern though)

Addresses:
Most of the destination address is directly readable, as is a lot of the return address - more made readable with some image manipulations, some inferred/filled in via tracking info, and some missing info could possibly be filled in via google with what is readable.


Just pointing out that a lot more obscuring is necessary if truly hiding the info is the goal.

I use Irfanview for most of my image editing, and generally use a "fine explosion" filter to completely wipe out information - it leaves enough context without being reversible. Cutting out or flood filling selections in the image also an option. If working with physical label as above, covering areas of interest with paper, post-it notes, etc is an effective option.

[rfmtm]

Besides setting the Adobe print Size to Actual and the Orientation to Automatic, you need to check the box next to "Choose paper source by PDF page size".  This last adjustment will take care of the off center problem.