How to print Flipkart labels at actual size
The five settings that matter
- Set the page size to the media, not to A4In the printer driver, choose 4 × 6 in (101.6 × 152.4 mm) for a thermal roll, or A4 for sticker sheets. If the driver offers a stock that matches the roll exactly, pick it instead of a custom size.
- Set scale to 100%In the browser print dialog, turn off “Fit to page”, “Shrink to fit” and “Fit to printable area”. Actual size is the only setting that keeps a 225 × 355 pt label a 225 × 355 pt label.
- Set orientation to portraitFlipkart’s invoice half is rotated 90° on purpose. Choosing landscape to “fix” it rotates the label too and shrinks both.
- Match the media type to the stockPick the label or gap-detection media type in the driver, not plain paper, so the printer knows where one label ends.
- Print one label and scan itPrint a single label, scan the barcode with a phone, and measure the printed label against the sticker. Only then run the batch.
Thermal 4 × 6: the driver settings that stop blank and clipped labels
A 4 × 6 inch label is 288 × 432 pt — 101.6 × 152.4 mm. Send the PDF at that page size with scale at 100%, and let the cropper put the 225 × 355 pt Flipkart block in the middle of it. The white space around the block is deliberate: it is the only thing standing between the barcode and the printer’s non-printable border.
- Page size: 4 × 6 in, or the roll width your printer reports.
- Scale: 100%. “Fit to printable area” is the single most common cause of barcodes that will not scan.
- Orientation: portrait.
- Media type: label / gap, not plain paper.
- Density: if labels come out grey rather than white, raise the darkness rather than the speed.
Roll calibration when every label drifts
If each label prints a few millimetres lower down the roll than the last, the printer’s gap sensor is guessing. On most desktop thermal printers (TVS, TSC, Zebra, Xprinter) holding the feed button until the indicator blinks runs a calibration pass that measures the gap between labels; the manual names the exact blink pattern per model. Run it after loading a new roll, and again if a roll was loaded with the labels upside down.
A4 and sticker sheets
On A4, the cropper prints two or four labels to a sheet at close to full size; six and above fit, but the block is scaled down to fit the cell. Set the printer to A4, scale 100%, margins to none if the driver allows it, and check the first sheet against the sticker grid before printing twenty of them.
Print at actual size — where that setting hides
- Chrome on Windows: print dialog → More settings → Scale → set to 100 (the default is “Default”, which usually fits to page).
- Chrome on macOS: print dialog → Paper size and Scale, with “Scale to fit” unticked.
- Windows printer preferences: “Fit to page” or “Shrink to fit” often exists in the driver as well as the browser — both must be off.
- Adobe Acrobat: Print → Page Sizing & Handling → Actual size.
The test print to run before a 200-label dispatch
- Crop one label with Pages set to “First page only”.
- Print it at 100% on the real stock — not on plain paper “to check”.
- Hold it against the sticker: is there a white edge on all four sides?
- Scan the barcode with a phone camera at arm’s length. If it does not read instantly, stop.
- Check the address: the first character of the buyer’s name and the last digits of the PIN code are the two that clipped crops eat.
- Only then run the batch, in one request, with the same settings.
Common failures and their real causes
- Blank page — the PDF page is smaller than the media, or the driver is set to the wrong roll width. Check page size first, density second.
- Barcode cut at the edge — a “fit to page” scale, or a crop box from a different marketplace layout. Use Custom crop margins.
- Grey background — print density too low or the media type set to plain paper.
- Label printed upside down — orientation is landscape, or the roll was loaded the wrong way. Fix it in the driver, not by rotating the PDF.
- PDF shrunk to A4 — the driver is set to A4 while a 4 × 6 roll is loaded. The printer will honour the page size it is told, even when the paper disagrees.
When a thermal printer is the wrong tool
For ten orders a week, A4 sticker sheets on an inkjet are cheaper than a thermal printer and a roll. Thermal wins from a few dozen labels a day upward: it is faster, the labels are weather-resistant, and there is no ink to dry out. Below that, buy sticker sheets and stop maintaining a printer that sits idle for a fortnight.
Where to go next
The label measurements these settings assume are on Flipkart shipping label size. If the invoice half keeps printing across two sheets, split it first: Flipkart label without invoice. Printing from a phone instead: crop a Meesho label on a phone.
Questions sellers ask
Why is my Flipkart label printing blank?
Usually the page size: a 4 × 6 roll loaded while the driver is set to A4, or a PDF page smaller than the media. Check the driver page size first, then the print density.
Why does my barcode not scan after printing?
Because something scaled the page. “Fit to page”, “Shrink to fit” and “Fit to printable area” all resize a barcode, and a resized barcode stops reading. Print at 100% and re-test one label.
Should I choose 4 × 6 or A4?
4 × 6 for volume on a thermal printer — one label, no cutting. A4 sticker sheets for low volume or when a thermal printer is not worth buying.
How do I stop labels drifting down the roll?
Run the printer’s gap calibration (usually a long press on the feed button until the indicator blinks) after every roll change, and set the media type to label or gap rather than plain paper.
Can I print at 203 DPI or do I need 300 DPI?
203 DPI is the common thermal resolution and is enough for a Flipkart barcode at the label’s real size. 300 DPI gives a sharper barcode and smaller text, and matters more for tiny SKU text than for the barcode.