Round Label Printing Troubleshooting

Round Label Printing Troubleshooting

(this actually applies to any shape/size sheet label)

I have been doing short run label printing for over 6 years and in all honesty, I dread round labels. I have had to throw away more off-aligned printed label sheets than I have produced final sellable round label sheets.  If you do not get it “just right”, it can be one of the most frustrating things.

There are a few key items to check into to hopefully help you.

1. When you receive your label order from supplier, take a tape measure, or any measuring tool, and check to make sure they have been cut correctly.  Match the measurements to what the label supplier states they should be.

For instance:

• Sheet Size:  8.5" x 11"
• Labels per Sheet:  108
• Shape:  Circle
• Diameter:  0.75"
• Top Margin: 0.6535"
• Bottom Margin: 0.6535"
• Left Margin:  0.623"
• Right Margin: 0.623"
• Horizontal Spacing: 0.063"
• Vertical Spacing: 0.063"
• Horizontal Pitch:  0.813"
• Vertical Pitch: 0.813"

I recently had an experience where every trick I learned didn’t work and I was about to lose my mind trying to print an order for 2” Round Labels.  A 6 sheet order took over a week. 

A friend stopped by and took one look and said that the labels were cut incorrectly.  I was in shock.  I had never thought that could be a possibility.  But once she pointed it out – it was obvious.  I measured them, and in fact they were cut wrong.   I contacted the manufacturer and they replaced immediately, no questions asked

2. Printable versus non-printable

Home printers do not have the ability to print to the full edge of a sheet.  The industry does not have a “Standard” on this.  The printable and non-printable area is solely dependent on the manufacturer and model of the printer. 

You will need to check with the manufacturer of your particular printer to find out where the non-printable margins are.  You can find an excellent write up at Online Labels to explain what I mean:

http://www.onlinelabels.com/Support/Maestro/AlignmentGuide/Non-Printable-Margins.aspx

Additionally, the software program being used impact the final result. 

For instance: Most sheet label templates supplied by sheet label manufacturers are 3 or 4 decimal digits out. (See sample in #1 above highlighted in red). 

Most standard software accommodates for 3 decimal places.  So what happens when the template requires 4?  The software automatically rounds the number up which will affect the final output. 

SAMPLE PAGE SETUP USING MICROSOFT PUBLISHER

I have learned over the years that on certain label sizes, to shift design slightly to right and down to accommodate for this.

3. Paper Shift

Home printers have a higher tendency for paper shifting to occur during the printing process.  Plan your design to accommodate 1/8" shift. 

The ideal printer should have a feed that rolls the sheet straight.  There is less of a shift risk.  Printers that roll sheets around and about stand a higher risk of shifting.

Online Labels has a write-up with regards to this topic:

http://www.onlinelabels.com/Support/Maestro/AlignmentGuide/Design-Tolerance.aspx

4. Using “Bleed” feature

I am not going to plagiarize Online Labels.  I am including another good point that you can find on their website.  I find having this feature turned on or off affect the final output:

http://www.onlinelabels.com/Support/Maestro/AlignmentGuide/Printer-Bleed.aspx

5. Selecting the correct material in software program

Depending on the label material directly affects what should be selected in the page setup/printing setup section of your printer.

For Instance: Clear labels do not print well using “LABEL”.  They do better using “PLAIN” or “TRANSPARENCY”.  This is something you need to play around with until you find the correct combination.

6. More on Margins

Many label sheets have slightly different top and bottom margins or left and right margins. Look for an "x" or a die cut mark to indicate the top of the label sheet. If the label or tag sheet does not have a mark to guide you, measure the top and side margins and choose the cleanest measurement as your top of sheet (for example, choose the end with a .5 top margin over a .4375 margin) Remember your choice, so that all label sheets can be properly inserted into the printer.

7. More on Printer idiosyncrasies

Every printer is different; every printer’s feed is different. Templates are guidelines only; you should expect to have to make minor adjustments prior to printing.

Hope this helps.

Happy Printing

Sherri

Designer Label Gal, Inc.

sales@designerlabelgal.com

714-326-6433