Getting a custom label format to print perfectly usually takes a couple of test runs. This page explains the best approach to dialling in your measurements efficiently.
Work on one setting at a time
Don't adjust every field at once — it makes it impossible to know what fixed the problem. Instead, work in two stages:
Stage 1 — get the label position right on the page
Focus on these four fields first:
- Left margin on page — moves all labels left or right
- Top margin on page — moves all labels up or down
- Label width — sets how wide each label is
- Label height — sets how tall each label is
Get these right before touching anything else. These are the fields that control where labels physically sit on the sheet.
Stage 2 — fine-tune the gaps between labels
Once the position is correct, adjust:
- Left margin to label — the horizontal gap between columns of labels
- Top margin to label — the vertical gap between rows of labels
Test efficiently with two browser tabs
Open two browser tabs at the same time:
- One on the Label Formats edit page (Administration → Label Formats → Edit)
- One on the Labels page in Contact (where you generate and print labels)
This way you can save a change in one tab and immediately reprint a test in the other, without navigating back and forth.
Always test on plain paper first
Before printing onto your actual label sheet, print a test page on plain paper. Hold the printed sheet up against your label sheet in front of a light source — this lets you see quickly whether the positions line up, without wasting a sheet of labels.
Reload the Contact page after creating a new format
If you've just created a new label format and it isn't appearing in the Format dropdown on the Labels page, reload that page. The format list is loaded when the page opens, so new formats won't appear until you refresh.
Check your measurements add up
As a sanity check before saving, verify that your measurements fit within the paper size:
- Left margin + (columns × label width) + ((columns − 1) × gap between columns) should not exceed the paper width.
- Top margin + (rows × label height) + ((rows − 1) × gap between rows) should not exceed the paper height.
infoodle will let you save a format even if the totals exceed the paper dimensions, but labels will be clipped or run off the page.