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Reprint it at 100 percent scale. A label that printed too small almost always means the print dialog was set to shrink-to-fit instead of actual size, which compresses the barcode until scanners cannot read it. Reprint with scaling set to 100 percent, check the barcode is crisp and dark, and attach the label flat on the box's largest face.
Scanners are designed around a fixed barcode module width: the width of the narrowest bar in the code. When the whole label shrinks, those bars get narrower than the scanner expects, and the decode falls apart. High-speed sorters read labels in a fraction of a second with no second chances, and a hand scanner at the counter will struggle the same way. The address printed next to the barcode is a backup for human eyes, but sortation is automated, so an unreadable barcode can stall or misroute your parcel even though the address looks fine.
| Print problem | What you see | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Scaled down | Whole label smaller than the page, wide white margins | Reprint at 100 percent / actual size |
| Cropped edges | Barcode cut off at one side | Check paper size is Letter, disable borderless cropping |
| Faint or gray | Barcode looks washed out | Replace the cartridge or toner; do not use draft mode |
| Smudged | Bars blur into each other when touched | Let inkjet prints dry fully; laser prints resist smudging |
More than people expect. A low-ink barcode prints with voids: tiny white gaps inside black bars that confuse the scanner. Smudged inkjet labels get worse when condensation or rain hits them in the truck. If your only printer is an inkjet running low, two fixes cost nothing: print on the best-quality setting (never draft mode) and let the page dry flat for a minute before taping. Laser printers are the better tool for labels because toner is plastic fused to the paper and does not run. Whatever you print on, attach the label flat on the box's largest face, never over a seam, edge, or flap line: a crease through the barcode is as fatal as a bad print.
Do not. A clerk at the counter might squint and accept it, but the automated equipment downstream will not, and the failure shows up as a stalled parcel with no clear error. You paid for the postage, so you can reprint as often as needed. The one exception: some carriers offer to print the label at their counter if you bring the tracking number or QR code on your phone. If your printer is truly dead, that option beats mailing a label you know is broken.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label. LetterAgent labels are Canada-only Xpresspost up to 5 kg.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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