This label printer test page prints a 4 x 6 in shipping label or a 2 x 1 in barcode label at true size: a border just inside the edge, a Code 128 barcode printed both ways, a UPC-A barcode, a QR code, a solid black bar, four darkness steps, text sizes and a millimetre ruler. It works with direct thermal and thermal transfer label printers from Zebra, Rollo, MUNBYN, Dymo, Brother and others, installed on Windows, Mac or ChromeOS. A good label print test page shows at once whether the printer finds each label, prints every dot and makes barcodes that scan. The 4x6 label test page matches carrier shipping labels, and the 2 x 1 in version suits product and barcode labels, so it works as a thermal label printer test page for both sizes.
How to print the label printer test page
- Install the printer's driver so it appears in your computer's printer list.
- In the driver's preferences, set the label size and a media type of labels with gaps, or black mark if your labels have black marks on the back.
- Choose Label printer above, then 4 × 6 in or 2 × 1 in to match the roll.
- Press Print this page and select the label printer. Pick the same label size, set Margins to None and keep the scale at 100%.
- Set Copies to 3. Each copy should land on its own label, which proves the printer finds the gaps.
What the label test shows
| Part of the label | What it checks | A good result |
|---|---|---|
| Border | Position and calibration | All four sides show, with even gaps |
| Code 128 barcode | Barcode quality | Scans on the first try |
| Turned barcode | Bars that run across the label | Scans like the first one |
| UPC-A barcode and QR code | Retail and 2D codes | Both scan |
| Solid black bar | Every heating dot | Even black with no white lines |
| Darkness steps | Darkness setting | Four steps that each look different |
| Text from 6 to 10 pt | Sharpness | 6 pt text is readable |
| Ruler | Scale | The 80 mm mark measures 80 mm |
Labels skip or print across gaps
A label printer finds the start of each label with a sensor that sees the gap, notch or black mark between labels. When it loses track, it prints across gaps, skips every other label or stops with a blinking light.
- Run the printer's calibration. Most printers do it from a button press or from the driver's utility, and many recalibrate when a new roll goes in.
- Set the media type in the driver: labels with gaps, black mark, or continuous for receipt style rolls.
- Check the label size in the driver matches the labels exactly.
- Make sure the roll sits under the guides and, on printers with a movable sensor, that the sensor lines up with the gaps or marks.
- Blow paper dust out of the sensor area, since dust blinds it.
On Zebra printers, the configuration label lists the label length the printer measured, which shows whether calibration worked. The zebra printer configuration page guide covers it.
Print is shifted, cut off or tiny
- Tiny label in one corner: the page size is Letter or A4. Choose the 4 x 6 in or 2 x 1 in size in the print window.
- Cut off on one side: the margins are not None, or the label size in the driver is smaller than the labels.
- Rotated or sideways: set the orientation to portrait for 4 x 6 in labels and landscape for 2 x 1 in.
- Every label starts too low or too high: calibrate, then use the label position or offset setting in the driver for small shifts.
Barcodes will not scan
Barcode scanners need sharp bars with clean gaps. Too much heat spreads the bars and fills the gaps, too little leaves bars broken.
- Change the darkness one step at a time and print again.
- Lower the print speed, which gives each dot more time to heat and sharpens the bars.
- Never shrink a barcode to fit. The fit to page setting can push its bars below the size scanners can read.
- A white line through the bars is a dead or dirty dot. Clean the print head and print again.
To check the codes on this label with a phone camera or a USB scanner, use the barcode scanner test.
Faded labels or white lines
Label printers heat a row of dots against coated labels, just like receipt printers. Pale labels need a higher darkness setting, fresh labels or a clean print head, and a white line down every label is a dirty or burned out dot. The thermal printer test page guide covers cleaning the head with isopropanol. Direct thermal labels also fade in sunlight and heat over months, so use thermal transfer labels with a ribbon for anything that must last.
Blank labels
Direct thermal labels only darken on one side. If the roll is loaded the wrong way, the printer feeds blank labels: scratch a label with a fingernail, and the side that darkens must face the print head. Thermal transfer printers print through an ink ribbon, so a missing ribbon or a ribbon fitted backwards leaves ordinary labels blank. For printers that use ink or toner, see printer printing blank pages.
Shipping labels from carriers and online shops
Carrier and marketplace sites usually offer the label as a 4 x 6 in file for thermal printers or as a full page for sheet printers. Choose the 4 x 6 in format for a label printer and print it at 100%. If you only get a full page with the label in one corner, the label prints too small; change the label format in your account settings rather than scaling the page. The printer test page pdf list has this test label as a PDF too, for checking the same settings from a PDF viewer.
What this test cannot do
A browser prints through the system driver, which turns the page into dots. It cannot send a label printer's own commands, run its calibration, change stored darkness or read its status. Those come from the printer's buttons, its utility or its configuration label.
Label printer test page questions
What should a label printer test page look like?
The border shows on all four sides with even gaps, the black bar is solid with no white lines, the darkness steps are all different, the text is sharp and every barcode scans. A border missing on one side means the label is printing out of position.
How do I print a test label on a Zebra printer?
Zebra printers print a configuration label from their buttons, which also shows the print darkness, speed and label length the printer has stored. The button press differs by model, and the zebra label printer test page guide lists each one.
Why does my label printer skip labels?
The printer has lost track of where each label starts, so it feeds past one to find the next gap. Run its calibration, set the media type to labels with gaps in the driver and check the label size matches the roll.
What size is a 4x6 label in mm?
Exactly 101.6 by 152.4 mm. Many drivers list it as 100 x 150 mm, which is close enough to print the same label.
Can I print 4x6 labels on a regular printer?
Yes, on label sheets made for inkjet or laser printers. Most carrier and marketplace sites offer the label as a full page PDF for that. A 4 x 6 in page sent to a sheet printer prints small in one corner, so choose the Letter or A4 option they offer.
Why do my thermal labels come out blank?
Direct thermal labels only darken on their coated side, so the roll may be loaded the wrong way. Thermal transfer printers need an ink ribbon, and with no ribbon or a ribbon fitted backwards, ordinary labels stay blank.