Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues with barcode printing and scanning, including misalignment, scan failures, and print quality problems.

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Why are my barcodes printing in red?

A red outline in the barcode area usually means the item doesn't have a barcode assigned. Add a valid barcode to the item and try printing again.

If a barcode is already assigned, check whether it contains any special characters — barcodes must contain only numbers or letters.

My labels are misaligned. How do I fix this?

If your labels are printing in the wrong position (e.g., shifted, sideways, or at a 90-degree angle), try these steps in order.

1. Make sure the label paper is loaded correctly and aligned inside the printer.

2. Confirm that the label size you selected in BoxHero matches the actual label sheet or roll you're using.

3. Check your printer settings:

   1. For standard printers, make sure the label sheet is inserted in the correct orientation — if it's upside down or reversed, the print position may shift.

   2. For thermal printers, verify that the correct paper size is configured in your system’s printer settings (Control Panel > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners > Printing Preferences).

My barcode won’t scan after printing.

Check whether the barcode printed clearly without smudging, fading, or distortion. If it looks blurry, try adjusting the print darkness and turning off dithering in your printer settings.

If you're using an external scanner, try scanning the barcode into a text editor like Notepad. The barcode number should appear followed by an automatic line break. If it doesn't, check your scanner's manual to enable the Enter key suffix.

My print preview looks different from actual print.

Make sure the label size selected in BoxHero and the paper size in your printer settings both match your actual label dimensions. For thermal printers, the paper size must also be set at the system level in your OS printer preferences.

My labels print blank or cut off.

Check that media is loaded correctly and the label format in BoxHero matches your actual paper. For thermal printers, turn off dithering in your printer driver — this is a common cause of blank or faded output.

• On Zebra drivers, set dithering to "Clipart" under Graphic Options > Dithering.

• On BarTender drivers, set it to "None" under the Graphics tab > Dithering. If labels are cut off, the paper size in your system's printer settings likely doesn't match the roll you're using.

Zebra

BarTender