FedEx Label will not print at the right size... the heck?

[j_disciple]

So I use a Zebra 4"X6" printer. All USPS labels automatically size properly to a 4"x6" document. However, when I use FedEx, the thing slaps a 4"x6" label into an 8.5"x11" document, and gives no other options for the bounding box size.  It works just fine for USPS, so I'm confused. Obviously, this adds an immense amount of processing time to FedEx shipments, and is annoying.

What the heck do I do to get FedEx labels to use an appropriate document size? I've also added a sample JPG of a blurred label and how it is automatically sized to show what I mean:

A 4"x6" label in a document much too large for label printing

[rfmtm]

@rescuedandretro   You want to make sure that the printer paper size is set to 4"x6" and that Firefox is opening PDF files with Adobe and not its built in reader.

In Firefox go to Tools>Options>General, and scroll down to Applications.  There scroll down to Portable Document Format (PDF) and set to Adobe.

[j_disciple]

Default printer is a Zebra ZP 450 with a 4" x 6" landscape label/paper size. It throws the 4" x 6" label in a 8.5" x 11" document and it has done that with Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox with Adobe's reader and with the built in readers.

[rfmtm]

@j_disciple  Your screen shot if of a USPS label not a FedEx label.  If you want your USPS label to output to your Zebra you need to change the Ebay setting.  When you create a label click on Printer & Receipts Preferences at the upper right and select your Zebra printer (if model not there select the LP2844).

Note: You can not reprint a label originally in the wrong format, it has to be created correctly from the start.

[j_disciple]

It's a Fedex Smart Post label. USPS works fine. I've never had a problem with USPS labels.

[rfmtm]

Need a screen shot of the entire label preview screen.

If the preview is an Adobe window, do you see the 4x6 outline from the printer attributes?

Can you size and orient to fit?

[j_disciple]

That is the entire screen I'm not sure what you're asking for. If I print it, it will only cut something off or shrink it to an unreadable size because it is shrinking an 8.5 x 11 document into a 4x6 document.

[rfmtm]

FedEx through eBay always defaults back to the letter size page and is not affected by the Printer format settings in the ebay shipping preferences.  You can only try to reformat them, which you usually can do within the Adobe print preview.  However, they may have changed things lately preventing that.  In that case you need to save the PDF file, then open and print them using a free editor like "PDF Reader 4", where you can quickly reformat.

Still post a screen shot of the label preview page.  You can also send it in a private message to me if you like.  Also if you have saved it as a PDF file send that to me as well so I can see where the problem is.

[j_disciple]

Here, print preview. Still a 8.5 x 11 smashed into a 4x6 page.

[j_disciple]

Basically it's coming back around to the original conclusion of needing to save the PDF and process it through photoshop. PS can open it to the bounding box and print from there but there will never be capacity to print in bulk from Ebay unless they fix this.

[rfmtm]

Your screen shot is not of an Adobe print window, so Adobe is not opening PDF files.  You need to fix this first.

If you want to experiment, save the file as PDF instead of printing it.  Then run Adobe and open that file.

You do not want to shrink to fit, make sure the browser isn't set to do this either.  Scaling it to 92% in the Adobe window should be enough to fit the label part to 4x6, it is then just whether the orientation will put that area in the right place to print.  Also best to reduce the printer margins down to .1" all around (do this in the browser page setup).   However, all this only works when Adobe opens the file, as ebay shipping seems very picky about this.

[rfmtm]

If you are really going to be doing a lot of FedEx shipping, it is best not to do it through ebay anyway.  Otherwise ebay is the shipper of record and you'll have endless problems if something goes wrong or you need to dispute a charge.

Best to open your own FedEx account.  Link it to ebay for the discounts, but ship from the FedEx Website.  To do Smart Post, you will have to ask FedEx to enable that for you, but you have to check to make sure you get the ebay Smart Post discounts as they are a separate rate table.

Better yet is download the free desktop version of ShipRush for FedEx which has a lot more features than ebay or the FedEx website and directly supports label printers.

Best, is to just switch over to UPS, as you will soon find a lot of frustration with FedEx processing errors, not to mention ebay's FedEx quoting errors.

[jax1col]

I use Google Chrome but recently all of my labels are "Overprinting" and messing up part of another label. Costly! Leave it to eBay to keep "improving" something that doesn't have a problem.

[rfmtm]

jax........  Chrome has a bad habit of reverting back to its built in reader to open PDF files like ebay/PayPal labels.  You need to change the settings to open those files with Adobe.

Google the latest way to do this, as it is always changing.

[johnrj1226]

@rescuedandretro 

I run  Firefox for my browser.  Had the  same print  label issues  of getting a very enlarged shipping label on multiple pages  - even my dog knew  I was mad.  My simple work around was to go to the Open Menu  icon on the upper RH corner (the 3 stacked lines) and use the print command.  Did not  download the  label to Adobe.

[thrifting75]

With the PDF shipping label open in Adobe, choose edit, take a snapshot, drag a box around what you want to print then right click and print. I have to change my settings to landscape and shrink oversized pages, but its the only work around thats the quickest when printing from the ebay site i knkow of.