LabelStudioPrinting Pirate Ship labels on a Mac
Pirate Ship can produce a true 4x6 label, so on a Mac the fix is almost always the format, not the printer: choose 4x6 in the Print popup, then print with the paper size set to 4 x 6 in. Labels come out small, sideways or two to a label when an 8.5x11 layout — especially the 2-labels-per-page one — reaches a 4x6 roll.
Which formats Pirate Ship offers
From Pirate Ship's support pages, checked 28 September 2026:
| Label | Formats |
|---|---|
| USPS | 4x6, 2x7, or 8.5x11 with 1 or 2 labels per page |
| UPS | 4x6, or 8.5x11 on a desktop printer. Not 2x7. |
| Return labels | 4x6 |
The 4x6 or 8.5x11 choice is made in the Print popup, so it can be changed when you reprint. 2x7 is different: it has to be set in Settings → General Settings before you buy, and it hides UPS services.
Printing a 4x6 label on a Mac, step by step
- Click Print Label and choose the 4x6 format.
- Open the label. In Chrome, use the printer icon on the preview. In Safari, open it in Preview. In Firefox, download it and open it in Preview.
- Pick your thermal printer as the destination.
- Set Paper Size to 4 x 6 in or 100 x 150 mm. If neither appears, the printer driver is not installed properly — check your model.
- Print at 100%. With a real 4x6 PDF, 100% and Scale to fit give the same result; with an 8.5x11 page, fitting is what shrinks the label.
For a batch, tick the labels on the Ship page and click Print Labels. Pirate Ship combines them into one PDF, one label per page in the 4x6 format.
When it still comes out wrong
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Label tiny, or two labels squeezed onto one 4x6 | An 8.5x11 file — often the 2-per-page layout — printed on 4x6 stock. | Reprint with the 4x6 format chosen in the Print popup. |
| Label printed sideways | The same 8.5x11 file: the label lies across the Letter page. | Use the 4x6 format. macOS has no orientation switch to fix it after the fact. |
| Edge cut off | The paper size has margins the printer cannot print into. | Custom 4 x 6 in paper size with all margins at 0. |
| Blurry text on a Zebra | Pirate Ship calls this a widely known issue with Zebra printers on a Mac. | See the Zebra setup notes below. |
Not sure whether it is the file or the printer? Print the free 4x6 test label: if it comes out right, the printer is fine and the problem is the label format.
Rollo and Zebra notes
Pirate Ship advises against Rollo's own test label when setting a Rollo up, and recalibrating by holding the button until it beeps (Rollo on a Mac). For Zebra printers, whose labels can come out fuzzy on a Mac, the Zebra setup guide covers the driver choice and calibration.
When all you have is the 8.5x11 PDF
If you downloaded the Letter version and would rather not reprint, crop the label out of the page. The free label cropper finds it and keeps it at full size. On a 2-labels-per-page sheet, crop and download the first, then move the box to the second and download again.
Frequently asked
How do I print a 4x6 label from Pirate Ship on a Mac?
Click Print Label and choose the 4x6 label format in the popup. Open the PDF (Chrome's print icon, or Preview from Safari or Firefox), pick your thermal printer, and set Paper Size to 4 x 6 in or 100 x 150 mm. If neither size is offered, the printer's driver is not installed properly.
Can I print several Pirate Ship labels at once?
Yes. Tick the labels on the Ship page and click Print Labels; Pirate Ship combines them into one PDF. With the 4x6 format each label is its own page, which is what a thermal printer wants.
I already bought the labels as 8.5x11. Do I have to buy them again?
Not for the 4x6 versus 8.5x11 choice — that is made when printing, so reprint with 4x6. The exception is 2x7, which Pirate Ship says must be set in General Settings before buying. If all you have is the PDF, crop the label out of the page instead.
Does Pirate Ship support ZPL?
Yes, labels can be downloaded as ZPL as well as PDF. On a Mac, a PDF printed through the normal print dialog is usually simpler; ZPL is for printers set up to receive raw Zebra commands.
Skip the manual crop
LabelPrint measures where the label sits on the page and prints it at full size on your thermal printer. Free for 5 labels a day, no account.