Before you start diving into printing issues
Print as many times as you need: If your label didn't print right, don't worry... you can try again! You're only charged once when you click the "Buy Label" button in Pirate Ship, not per printing attempt 🎉
Labels as PDF files: When you buy a label with Pirate Ship, it creates a PDF file that you can print from your computer (or phone or tablet) just like any other file. You may need to research how to adjust your printer settings to get an ideal print.
Printer connections: Pirate Ship doesn't directly connect to your printer, just your browser. This means any issues you’re having are caused by problems with your device or printer settings.
General troubleshooting steps to determine why your label isn't printing properly
The suggestions in this article have helped countless pirates get their labels printing perfectly! Work through them one by one, and you'll likely find the solution you need 😊
Make sure your printer is set up correctly
Even if you've set up your printer before, it's worth double-checking that it's set up correctly. Settings can change over time, and making sure everything is configured correctly is often the quickest fix.
Configure your printer settings: The guides linked below will go over the recommended computer settings based on the type of printer and device you're using:
Use the latest drivers: For label printers specifically, we recommend updating your printer's drivers. Even brand-new printers can have outdated drivers installed 😅 Here's where you can find the latest drivers for some common printers:
Some other quick troubleshooting steps
Turn it on and off again: Yes, we're serious 😃 A quick reboot of your device and printer can work wonders! Restarting your printer can be especially helpful for resolving any connectivity issues.
Update your browser: An outdated browser may not be compatible with certain features on modern websites. This may interfere with how labels load and print.
Clear your history/cache: Old cached files can sometimes conflict with new data. Clearing them out gives your browser a fresh start.
Use a private/incognito window: This will temporarily disable extensions and utilize default settings, which can help identify if something in your regular browser is causing the issue.
Use a different device/browser: If you’re in a rush and need to come back to the original issue later, this can be the fastest way to get your label printed in the meantime.
Switch to Google Chrome: Chrome is the only browser that supports inline PDFs. This means you can preview and print your label right in your browser without downloading anything 😎
Pirate Ship is compatible with all modern browsers, but we recommend Chrome because of this feature!
Label sizing issues
If your labels are printing too large, too small, or information is being cut off, this is usually a "scaling" issue. "Scaling" refers to your printer's setting that shrinks or stretches the label to fit your paper size.
Select the correct printing template
When you click Print Label or Reprint Label in Pirate Ship, you need to select the correct template for your printer and label size:
Check your printing dialogue box
When your printing dialogue box pops up, make sure the paper size you select matches your actual labels:
For 4x6” label printers: Choose 4x6”, 100mm x 150mm, or omw296h452
For 2x7” label printers: Choose 99019, 7” postage label, 2.4, or oew162h504.
If your label printer has a bit of margin beyond 2x7", it will still work.
For desktop printers: Choose 8.5x11” or Letter/US Letter
Select Scale to Fit: Try selecting "Fit to page / Scale to Fit" - this option can automatically adjust the label to fit your page correctly.
If you don’t see these options: Your printer may not have been installed correctly 🙈 Double-check your setup instructions and re-install the correct drivers. If this doesn’t work, you can create custom paper sizes:
For Windows, we recommend looking up these instructions for your specific printer
If labels are partially printing
If your printer stops mid-label and only prints part of the label, this is usually a paper feed or sensor issue. Here are some steps you can take to fix this:
Make sure your labels are loaded correctly and seated properly in the printer
Check that nothing is blocking the paper path or label feed
Clean any sensors on your printer (sensor locations are usually found on your printer’s manual)
Try recalibrating your printer; this helps detect where labels start and stop
If you’re using a roll of labels, make sure the roll can spin freely and isn’t jammed
Contact your printer manufacturer: If none of the above steps solves your issue, we recommend contacting your printer manufacturer. They will be able to offer more help than our crew can provide, especially with printer-specific issues.
Label appearance issues
My labels are too dark, light, blurry, or pixelated
Adjust the density settings: The "density" setting for your printer determines how light or dark it prints. Check your printer's settings to ensure the system default is selected, but you can adjust to a lighter/darker density if needed!
Check your ink cartridges (desktop printers only): If your labels are blurry or fuzzy with a desktop printer, this is likely a problem with your printer ink. Check to see if your cartridges are running low on ink, otherwise you should check the manufacturer's website for instructions on how to clean the print head nozzle.
Using a Rollo printer? If you're using a Rollo printer and notice your labels look pixelated or have darker/larger fonts, this is normal. Rollo printers are designed to work with vector-based images, which Pirate Ship doesn't currently support.
Due to this, Rollo printers print with larger/darker fonts than other printers. Any pixelation or distortion shouldn't prevent carriers from scanning your labels.
My labels are printing with lines, streaks, or smudges
Clean your print head or the rollers inside your printer: These can collect dust and adhesive over time. Exact instructions can usually be found in your printer’s manual or on the manufacturer’s website.
If streaks are consistent in the same spot after cleaning: Your print head may be damaged and need replacement.
My labels are printing completely blank
Blank label issues: Many factors may cause your printer to create blank labels, such as printer settings, paper type, or the ink itself. Here are a few things to check in this case:
Make sure your printer isn't tilted or at an angle
You may need to replace your ink cartridges if they're old, or out of ink (for desktop printers)
See if the type of paper you're using is supported by your printer
Clean your print head in case any nozzles are clogged
Research steps on how to calibrate your type of printer
Common printing issues (not specific to Pirate Ship)
My printer isn’t printing anything
Clear your printer queue: This issue often happens if you have a corrupt print job. If an attempt to print something fails, it can often sit in your printer's queue and prevent anything else from printing successfully. These resources may help:
My printer works everywhere except Pirate Ship
A three-step solution: It may seem like a silly fix, but the following steps usually do the trick to get your printer responding to Pirate Ship:
Unplug your printer from your device and turn it off
Restart your device
Plug your printer (or re-sync) it back to your device, and try printing it again
My printer doesn’t appear on my list of devices
Connection issues: A connection issue can cause a printer to disappear from your synced devices. Here are some resources that may help with your printer's connectivity, depending on the operating system you're using:
My printer appears in my device list but shows as “offline” or “paused”
Power on: Make sure your printer is actually turned on and connected to your device. If it is, consider restarting both your printer and device to restart the connection.
Resume: Right-click on the printer in your device settings and select “Use Printer Online” or “Resume.”
Double-check settings: Make sure the printer isn’t set to “Use Printer Offline” mode in your settings.
Pending print jobs: Check for any pending print jobs that may be blocking the queue.
Wireless printers: If you’re using a wireless printer, make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your device.
I’m receiving an error when I try to print
Search your error on Google: The easiest way to find a fix is by copying/pasting the error you receive, along with your printer type, into Google. Your printer's manufacturer likely has a resource that will help you fix that specific error 😉
Brother printer error: If you see an error message that says, "The roll of labels or tape inside the machine does not match…”, it means you're using a Brother printer with continuous labels. These specific labels are printed over one continuous ribbon. Here's what you can do to fix it:
Open your P-Touch Editor or Brother's main program, and head to Advanced Settings.
Click on Continuous Tape Format.
Select the proper label size.
If this doesn’t solve the problem, contact Brother’s support team.
I’m trying to print from a mobile device
If you're printing from a phone or tablet, check out these helpful resources:
iPhone/iPad users: See our guide on Apple's AirPrint
Android users: See our guide on Printing from your Android device
Still having trouble?
If printing issues persist, you can send the label to someone else
Have someone else print the label: Did you know you can send your label to someone else, and they can print it for you? Pirate Ship makes it easy to share your label by generating a simple "Share Link" that you can send. Whoever clicks the link will then be able to print the label for you!
You'll find this "Create Share Link" button at the bottom of the pop-up that appears after you click the big green "Print Label" button. Read more about sending a label to someone else here.
Your printer's manufacturer knows best
Contact your printer manufacturer's support: While us pirates are experts when it comes to shipping, specific printer issues are outside of our wheelhouse 😅 Contacting your printer manufacturer's support team is typically the fastest and easiest way to get things back on track.
Printer manufacturer support pages: Here are the support pages for some common printer manufacturers: