Printing GPSR labels on a thermal printer

Choose the label size by the amount of text

The text on a GPSR label grows with every language you add. As a rough guide, from what the generator's auto-fit shows:

• 50 × 30 mm / 60 × 40 mm — manufacturer, responsible person, model, batch and one or two languages of short warnings. With five languages the smallest text drops to around 2 pt, which is hard to read.
• 70 × 50 / 100 × 50 mm — the usual size for five languages (EN, DE, FR, IT, ES) and two or three warnings.
• 100 × 70 / 100 × 100 mm — the Amazon EU set of eight languages, or toy labels with several warnings and symbols.
• 100 × 150 mm (4 × 6 in) — the shipping-label roll most sellers already have; fits all 22 languages for short warnings.

The preview tells you the smallest font size. If it warns, take the next size up or fewer languages.

203 dpi or 300 dpi?

Most desktop thermal printers (many Zebra, Rollo, Munbyn, Xprinter and similar models) print at 203 dpi, about 8 dots per millimetre. Small text needs dots: a letter 1.5 mm high gets about 12 dots at 203 dpi and about 18 at 300 dpi. For small labels with many languages, a 300 dpi printer gives visibly cleaner text.

In the generator set Print quality to your printer's resolution (203 for most thermal printers). The PDF then holds a raster at exactly that resolution, so the printer doesn't resample it.

Driver settings that matter

1. Paper size: in the printer's Printing preferences, create or select a paper size equal to the label (for example 100 × 50 mm). Width first, as the label comes out of the printer.
2. Scaling 100%: in the PDF viewer choose Actual size (Adobe Acrobat) or set scale to 100 (browser print dialogs). “Fit to page” shrinks the label and its text.
3. Orientation: portrait or landscape so that the preview in the print dialog shows one label per page, not a rotated or cut one.
4. Darkness / heat: start in the middle. Too light breaks small letters; too dark fills in letters like e and a.
5. Speed: slower prints are usually crisper on small text.
6. Calibrate the printer after changing the roll, so it finds the gap between labels.

Direct thermal or thermal transfer?

Direct thermal labels (no ribbon, like most shipping labels) darken with heat and fade with light, heat and time. They are fine for packaging that is sold within months. Thermal transfer labels use a ribbon and last much longer; use them, or a laser/inkjet label sheet, for products that stay in use for years or where the label sits on the product itself.

Office printer instead

No thermal printer? With Pro you can lay labels out on A4 sheets (Avery 3474, L7160, L7163, L7165) or US Letter sheets (Avery 5160, 5163), choose the label to start at — useful for half-used sheets — and print at 100% on a laser or inkjet printer.

Troubleshooting

• Label prints small, with a white border — scaling is not 100%, or the driver paper size is bigger than the label.
• Label is cut off or spread over two labels — driver paper size or orientation doesn't match the roll; recalibrate.
• Blank label between every printed label — the paper size is longer than the label; set the exact length.
• Grey, broken small text — raise darkness slightly, lower speed, or use 300 dpi.
• QR code doesn't scan — keep it at least about 10 mm wide (the preview warns below that) and avoid a too-dark setting that merges the modules.