How to Adjust Thermal Receipt Margins & Fix Cut-off Text
When printing on 58mm or 80mm thermal paper, text getting cut off or off-center is usually caused by unaligned printable area margins or incorrect driver paper settings. To fix thermal receipt margins quickly, follow these general and software-specific steps:
- Check Printer Driver Properties: In Windows Printers & Scanners, ensure the paper size is set to the exact thermal roll width (e.g., 80mm x Receipt or 58mm x 210mm) instead of standard A4.
- Adjust Margins in Quick Receipt: Open Quick Receipt > Go to the menu “Document Settings” and select your document type and choose “Design”. Switch to the “Paper” tab and adjust Left or Right margins (e.g., set to 0mm or 5mm) to adjust the printable text area.
- Test Print: Create a new document and test the print out
This article guides you through adjusting margin settings to ensure your receipts print correctly on your thermal printer. Incorrect margin settings can lead to text being cut off or misaligned.
Understanding Printable Area:
Most thermal printers have a smaller printable area than their stated paper width. For example, an 80mm printer might only print on 72mm, and a 58mm printer might only print on 48mm.
Therefore, you must consider appropriate margins when designing your receipts or printouts.
Finding the Optimal Margin Settings:
The ideal margin settings depend on your specific printer model. Here’s a step-by-step process to find the perfect settings:
- In the main menu, click “Document Settings“, choose document type and choose “Design“.
- Document Design Windows will be shown.
- On the left, click to change to Paper section.
- Initial Test:
- Assess the Output:
- Fine-Tuning for Center Alignment:
Begin by setting a left margin of 0mm and a right margin of 10mm. This provides a generous right margin to prevent text from being cut off.
After saving the settings, create a new test receipt and print it.
Examine the printed receipt.
If text is cut off on the right: Increase the right margin further.
If the text is completely printed but not centered: Proceed to next step.
If the text is printed completely but isn’t centered, you’ll need to fine-tune the margins. Gradually increase the left margin while simultaneously decreasing the right margin.
Create a new test receipt and print, after each adjustment. Aim for a balanced appearance with text centered on the page.
Example:
- In our testing with an 80mm printer (72mm printable area), if we set the left and right margin both as 5mm, the text is cut off on the right.
- We then set the left and right margin to 0mm and 10mm. All the content can be printed out completely.
- However, the print out is not align center perfectly. So, we increase the left margin a little bit (2mm) and reduce the right margin to 8mm simultaneously. Now, the print out is fit perfectly.
Important Considerations:
- Create a new receipt: Always create a new receipt after adjusting the margin settings to test the changes.
- Iterative process: Finding the perfect margins may require several iterations of adjusting and printing test receipts.
- Consult your printer’s specifications: Refer to your printer’s manual for information about its printable area.
By following these steps, you can ensure your receipts print correctly and look professional. If you continue to experience issues, please contact our support team.