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Avery labels not lining up? How to fix print alignment

Why Avery labels print shrunk, too low or off-center, and how to fix it: 100% scale, Letter paper, the right template, browser PDF settings and feeding.

Short answer

  • The most common cause is scaling: print at 100% or Actual Size, never Fit to Page.
  • Set paper size to Letter (8.5" x 11") for US Avery products and choose a label or cardstock paper type.
  • Check that the template number matches your package; same-size labels from different families can sit in different positions.
  • Text that drifts lower down the sheet points to feeding: use the manual tray and feed one sheet at a time.
In this guide (11 sections)
  1. Find your symptom first
  2. Step 1: Print at 100%, not Fit to Page
  3. Step 2: Set paper size to Letter
  4. Step 3: Check the template matches your product number
  5. Step 4: Nudge the layout if it's off by the same amount everywhere
  6. Step 5: Fix drift caused by sheet feeding
  7. Step 6: Browser-specific fixes for Design & Print Online
  8. Step 7: When text is cut off inside a label
  9. Worked example: a 5160 sheet printing low and small
  10. Use a test sheet before every new job
  11. What to check before you act

When Avery labels print shrunk, too low or off-center, the cause is usually a print setting, not the labels. Set scale to 100% (or Actual Size), set paper size to Letter, and make sure the template number matches your package. If the first row lines up but later rows drift, the problem is how the printer pulls the sheet.

Avery spreads its fixes over several help articles, one per browser or app. We pulled them into one checklist, ordered by how the problem looks on the page. All steps come from Avery's help pages, checked October 23, 2026.

Find your symptom first

Hold a misprinted sheet up to a window against a fresh label sheet. What you see points to the cause.

What you see Likely cause Go to
Everything is smaller than the labels, and the gap grows toward the edges Scaling (Fit to Page or Shrink) Step 1
Everything is shifted by the same amount up, down or sideways Wrong paper size, template offset or printer margin Steps 2 and 4
Some labels fit, others are clearly in the wrong place Wrong template for your product number Step 3
The top row is fine but each row is a bit lower Sheet slipping as it feeds Step 5
Only one browser gets it wrong Browser PDF viewer Step 6
Text is cut off inside a label, but the label position is right Too much text or extra blank lines Step 7

Step 1: Print at 100%, not Fit to Page

This is the fix Avery mentions first and most often. Its printer settings page says to set scaling to 100% or Actual Size, in the print dialog, Preferences or Properties.

Many PDF viewers and browsers default to "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages." That shrinks the whole layout a little, so the labels near the edges miss their marks. The shrink is often only a few percent, which is why it's easy to miss on screen.

Where to find it:

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader: under Page Size & Handling, choose Actual Size, or Custom at 100%.
  • Chrome: Avery says to uncheck "fit to page" in the PDF preview. You may need to open More Settings to find Scale.
  • Safari on Mac: open the downloaded PDF, go to File, then Print, and set Scale to Fit to 100%.
  • Any PDF with no scale option: Avery suggests choosing "Print using system dialog."

Step 2: Set paper size to Letter

Avery's help pages say to set paper size to 8.5" x 11" for most US products. If your printer or computer is set to A4, the page can be scaled or shifted to fit the wrong sheet. A4 is 210 x 297 mm, while Letter is 8.5" x 11" (215.9 x 279.4 mm), so even small differences move every label.

Check the setting in two places: the application's print dialog and the printer's own preferences. Some printers keep their own default paper size.

Step 3: Check the template matches your product number

Avery ties each template to a product number because, as its 5160 page explains, the template matches spacing and margins, not just label size. Two labels can share a size but sit in different positions on the sheet.

So if you have Avery 48160 labels, use the 5160 template, because 48160 is on Avery's 5160 compatible list. Don't just grab any "1 x 2-5/8 inch, 30 per sheet" template from elsewhere.

Our guides list the compatible numbers for the most common families:

Step 4: Nudge the layout if it's off by the same amount everywhere

If everything is shifted evenly and steps 1 to 3 are right, your printer may just place the page slightly off. Avery offers two ways to compensate.

In Avery Design & Print Online: use the Adjust Print Alignment tool in the Preview step to nudge the template.

In Microsoft Word: Avery's Word misalignment article says to:

  1. Open the View tab and tick Ruler.
  2. Hover over the boundary between the white and gray parts of the ruler until you see a two-headed arrow.
  3. Drag on the left ruler to move the layout up or down, or on the top ruler to move it left or right.
  4. Print a test on plain paper, hold it against the label sheet, and repeat until it lines up.

The same article also suggests saving the document as a PDF and confirming 100% scale before printing.

Step 5: Fix drift caused by sheet feeding

Drift that gets worse down the page is a feeding problem: the sheet slips or skews as the printer pulls it. Avery's tips:

  • Fan the sheets before loading.
  • Use the manual feed tray, or the tray with the straightest paper path.
  • Fill the tray only 1/2 to 3/4 full.
  • Snug the paper guides against the edges of the sheets.
  • When printing only a few sheets, put about 20 sheets of plain paper underneath.
  • If the printer grabs more than one sheet, feed one at a time.
  • Set the media or paper type to Label, Heavyweight, Cardstock or Photo, and quality to Best or High.
  • If there are no quality options, feed one sheet at a time and send each sheet as a separate print job.

Avery also suggests cleaning the tray. Blow out dust and paper fibers with canned air, then wipe the guides with a tissue or paper towel to remove adhesive residue. And it recommends installing the latest printer drivers and firmware from your printer maker's website.

Avery's Firefox article adds a useful test: if a plain-paper test page lines up but the label sheet doesn't, the printer is likely having trouble pulling the thicker sheet. Check your printer maker's instructions for printing labels or cards.

Step 6: Browser-specific fixes for Design & Print Online

If you design in Avery Design & Print Online, the browser's built-in PDF viewer can apply its own scaling. Avery's browser articles all point to the same approach: download the PDF, open it in a PDF reader, and print at Actual Size.

Browser Avery's key steps
Chrome or Chromebook At Preview & Print, choose Download PDF. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader and set scaling to Actual Size. Avery also suggests clearing browsing history and updating Chrome.
Safari Download the PDF from the print step, open it, then File > Print with Scale set to 100% (or Actual Size in Acrobat Reader).
Firefox Download the PDF, print it with Actual Size or Custom 100% under Page Size & Handling, set media type to labels or cardstock under Properties, and paper size to Letter.

Avery also suggests trying another device, such as a laptop instead of a desktop, if one machine keeps misprinting.

Step 7: When text is cut off inside a label

If the label positions are right but text is clipped, the layout is fine and the content is the problem. Avery's Chrome article suggests removing extra spaces and returns from text boxes. Its Word article says to make sure your text fits within the template's guidelines.

On small labels this happens fast. A 1/2"-tall return label is only 36 points tall, so three lines of small type is about the limit. See our return address label sizes guide for a line-count table.

For print-to-the-edge labels, Avery's Chrome article says to pull the image out to the second dotted line. That extra bleed hides small shifts at the edge.

Worked example: a 5160 sheet printing low and small

Say you print 30 address labels on Avery 8160 sheets from Chrome. The top-left label looks fine, but the bottom-right label is about 1/8" too high and too far left, and the text looks a little small.

  1. Read the symptom. The error grows toward the far corner, and the text is small. That points to scaling (Step 1), not feeding.
  2. Check the template. 8160 is on Avery's 5160 compatible list, so the 5160 template is right (Step 3).
  3. Fix scaling. Download the PDF instead of printing from Chrome's preview. Open it in Acrobat Reader and choose Actual Size.
  4. Check paper size. Make sure both the print dialog and the printer preferences say Letter.
  5. Test on plain paper. Hold the test against an 8160 sheet up to a window. If every label lines up, print on the real sheet.
  6. If a small even shift remains, use Adjust Print Alignment in Design & Print, or the Word ruler method, and test again.

Use a test sheet before every new job

Avery's practice test sheet article suggests downloading the blank PDF template for your product number and printing it on plain paper at Actual Size or 100%. You can also print the template outlines so you can see each label's border. It costs one sheet of plain paper and saves a sheet of labels.

If none of this works, Avery's help pages list its Care Team at 800-462-8379, plus chat.

What to check before you act

  • Scale is 100% or Actual Size, never Fit to Page.
  • Paper size is Letter in both the app and the printer preferences.
  • The template number matches, or is on the compatible list for, your package number.
  • Paper type is set to label, heavyweight or cardstock, and you're using the manual or straight-path tray.
  • A plain-paper test sheet lines up before you load labels.

Questions people ask

Why are my Avery labels printing too small?

Usually the PDF or browser is shrinking the page to fit the printable area. Avery says to set scale to 100% or Actual Size, which you may find under More Settings or the system print dialog.

Why do my labels start fine but drift lower down the sheet?

Drift that grows down the page usually points to feeding rather than the template. Avery suggests using the manual or straightest-path tray, fanning the sheets, and feeding one sheet at a time.

How do I move a Word label template up or down?

Avery's help says to turn on the Ruler in Word's View tab, then drag the margin boundary on the left ruler to move the layout up or down, or on the top ruler to move it left or right.

Should I print from the browser or a PDF reader?

Avery's browser help pages for Chrome, Safari and Firefox all suggest downloading the PDF and printing it at Actual Size or 100%, often from Adobe Acrobat Reader.

How can I test alignment without wasting labels?

Print your page on plain paper at 100% scale, hold it against a label sheet up to a light, and compare. Avery offers the blank PDF template as a practice test sheet.

Who do I contact at Avery for template help?

Avery's help pages list its Care Team at 800-462-8379, plus a chat option on the site.

General information only, not legal or regulatory advice. Template details and rules change; confirm on the maker's or regulator's own page before you print a large run. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

  1. Not Printing Correctly, Print is Shrunk, Misalignment (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  2. Recommended Printer Settings (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  3. Word Template Misalignment (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  4. Practice Test Sheet (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  5. Misalignment ChromeBook / Chrome (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  6. Safari - Printing / Misalignments (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  7. Print Not Aligned - Firefox (Avery Help)checked October 23, 2026
  8. Avery Template 5160 (Avery)checked October 23, 2026

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