Frequently Asked Questions – BarTender® Edition

Label Printer Issues:

Printer feeds labels when sent a print command, but no ink is on the labels – or printing is very faint.

1. Check the ribbon wind direction (“out” vs. “in”). (See printer manual).
2. Adjust the print darkness (HERE).

Printed labels come out, but are not of good quality.

1. Adjust the print darkness (HERE).
2. Ensure your print head is clean with a non-abrasive wipe and alcohol or print-head cleaner.

Printed labels come out, but are not aligned correctly on the label.

1. Ensure you have a proper calibration (HERE).
2. Move printed fields on your BarTender screen to align correctly on actual label.

Printer will not go to a solid green “ready” light, or just continuously feeds labels.

1. Ensure media is loaded correctly. (See printer manual).
2. Factory reset the printer (HERE) (or see printer manual).

Printer will start printing, but then suddenly stop and show a red or red flashing light.

– This indicates the printer is erroring in some way. Check to be sure that:

1. The ribbon is feeding cleanly without getting hung up due to a spindle being over-loaded.
2. The labels have been properly calibrated, and are fed correctly through the guides.

Printer does not respond at all upon sending a print command.

1. Ensure all cables are attached and printer is turned on.
2. Ensure Windows is looking for the printer on the correct port (LPT, USB, or Ethernet).
3. Restart computer, especially if following a recent printer install.
4. Re-install printer. (HERE)

Printing comes out with vertical lines or streaks.

1. The print head is dirty, as something is obstructing the proper printing, or:
2. There are print head elements that are damaged or burned out, and the printer/print head should be replaced.

BarTender Software Issues:

Fields on the screen do not move smoothly – they jump around when I try to make adjustments.

1. Turn off the option on your toolbar (along the top) that says “Snap to Ruler” (a bit to the right of the zoom magnifying glasses). This will allow more fine adjustments of your format.
2. Due to printing limitations, barcodes cannot be adjusted perfectly smoothly for width. The size will jump up and down between possible line sizes as your resize a barcode horizontally.

I want to connect an Excel sheet or other database to my label design.

– Seagull has released a video tutorial of this BarTender® feature: HERE

– You can also download this PDF that will walk you through the process.

Please note that the Seagull Video Tutorial is for version 10.0 and above, while the PDF is for version 9.4 and below.

Label size on screen is not correct – or I cannot specify the correct size.

1. Open the Page Setup screen by going to File > Page Setup, and adjust your page and label size here.
2. If unable to specify the correct size, ensure that you have installed the printer you’re using with the Seagull Print Driver (HERE).

For any further technical issues or questions you may need to refer to your full printer manual, supplied on a CD with your printer, or please Contact Our Tech Support Department at 1-800-535-6987.