One *very* helpful member at the PP help desk sent me this checklist (below). I don't remember what actually helped, but I haven't had trouble printing labels of late (except *after* they print, the Pitney Bowes screen locks up sometimes for a few min.) One note of frustration ... right around the holidays I was having trouble importing all orders into MOS. I called and called - was told it was a known issue, that they were working on it. I finally discovered, on my own, that you can only import a maximum of 100 orders at a time, and that's why the most recent orders weren't showing up. Wish someone knew. Oh well, that's what experience is for, I guess.
Laurie
* Turn off pop-up blocker or add paypal.com and ship.paypal.com to
pop-up blocker allowed list. For that matter, USPS, UPS, FedEx websites
should all be on the allowed list.
* If you’re using IE, use IE7 where possible. If using IE8, log onto
* If using other browsers, stick with Firefox, Chrome and Safari…..in
that order. In fact, Chrome and Safari should be avoided, if possible.
Firefox and IE are preferred.
* Clear cache and cookies regularly and often.
* Make sure you are updated to the latest version of Java.
* Clear the Java cache.
* Go to Tools-> Manage add-ons->Enable Java Plug-In.
* Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader.
* Make sure you have the buyer’s name on the label.
* Make sure the address is a precise match with the address on file with
USPS. That means some addresses will display “Saint†while others will
display “St.†There’s no rhyme or reason to it, that’s just the way
* The full address, lines 1 and 2, cannot be more than 40 characters in
length. Make good use of postal abbreviations.
* Use correct postal abbreviations.
* Use upper and lower case. For instance when typing the postal
abbreviation for “Street,†use St
* No unnecessary punctuation, i.e., periods, commas, etc. Dashes are
generally ok.
* Don’t use the Zip Plus 4 or if you do, use a dash to separate the two
portions. I.e.: 68164-3780
* Make sure you have the weight and dimensions correct and that they
match.
* If you still think the address looks correct, but can’t print a label,
use the Edit Address Function to manually delete, and manually type each
line back in (do not use cut and paste). This will clear any bad or
blank characters not visible.
* Some post offices are strict about the date that is listed on a PayPal
shipping label. Some will reject a shipment if the computer-generated
date on the label is inconsistent with the date the shipper drops off
the package. To avoid this, a PayPal shipper must always select a
realistic ship date that is consistent with the day he plans to drop off
the item at the post office. If processing a PayPal shipment after
postal business hours (usually 5:00 p.m. and later), the shipper should
always use the next day as the ship day to be safe.
* If the user prints a label with delivery or signature confirmation,
the label will need to be scanned by the post office. One major problem
that many shippers and post offices face is a low-quality printout of
the bar code on the label. The item cannot be scanned into the post
office's tracking system if the bar code is too light or there are
breaks in the lines due to a bad printer. The shipper will not be able
to track the item in transit. To avoid this problem, a PayPal shipper
must do a thorough cleaning of the printer head and ensure there is
enough ink in the printer cartridges before processing a PayPal
shipment. Also, print on high-quality, bright white paper that is at
least 20 lbs. with 96 brightness.
* When label is presented for printing, right click on the label and
select “Save Picture As†saving it as a jpeg or gif image. You’ll have
to adjust the paper size and margins, but once you have those settings
in place, you can print the label as a fax without problems. This also
is helpful if you lose the label before it gets on the package since you
already have it saved.
* If you are unable to print anything but the SAMPLE label, there is a
known problem with some of the newer HP printers and Internet Explorer.
You can try this fix in Internet Explorer, go to File > HP Smart Web
Printing and uncheck it. Another workaround is to use Firefox instead
of IE.
