Help · Envelopes
My envelope printed too large, too small, cut off, or shifted. What do I change?
Wrong size: the print settings scaled the page onto Letter or A4 paper; choose the envelope's paper size (or add a custom size with its exact dimensions) and leave the scale at its default. Shifted: run the envelope setup and use "Nudge it into place", which moves the layout in 1/16 inch (or 1 mm) steps and saves the offset for that printer and size.
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Too large or too small
The PDF is exactly the envelope's size. If the print is scaled, the print settings treated the page as a different paper size. Print the same PDF again and, in your print settings, choose the envelope's paper size: the name Penmark shows (for example "Envelope A7" for A7) or a custom paper size with its exact dimensions, never Letter or A4 and never a near match such as "5 × 7". If you changed a scale setting, set it back to its default. With the right paper size selected, default scaling prints true to size on the printers we have tested.
Shifted or clipped
A consistent shift is an alignment offset. In the envelope setup, choose Shifted or clipped after the test page, then Nudge it into place: compare the printed crosshair with a ruler, and tap the arrows. Each tap moves the layout 1/16 inch (1 mm for metric sizes). Download a fresh test PDF (it includes your nudge), load the envelope the same way, print, and save when it looks right. The offset is saved for that printer and size and applied to every envelope you print on it.
Upside down or on the wrong side
Not a settings problem: turn the envelope around in the tray (upside down) or flip it (wrong side) and print the same PDF again. The setup's "How did it come out?" step walks through exactly this and remembers the result.
Adding a custom paper size on your computer
If the exact envelope size is not in your print settings, the computer or the printer driver may allow a custom paper size; enter Penmark's dimensions for the size (shown on the sheet before each download). Where that option lives, and what it is called, varies by operating system, browser and printer. If the printer does not support custom sizes, choose a size it does support and print envelopes of that size.
Common questions
Should I choose 100% or "Actual size"?
Not necessary for envelopes. The page already matches the envelope, so with the right paper size selected the default scaling prints true to size on the printers we have tested. Changing the scale is what usually causes wrong-size output.
The print window says "Fit to paper". Is that wrong?
Not when the paper size is the envelope's own size: fitting an envelope-sized page onto envelope-sized paper changes nothing. It is wrong when the paper size is Letter or A4.
Does the nudge change the PDF?
It shifts the layout inside the page by the saved offset for that printer and size. The page size and orientation never change, so once the offset is saved the same PDF prints consistently on that printer.
Related
- Which envelope sizes can Penmark print, and what paper size do I choose?
- How do I load envelopes into my printer?
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