Migrate Your Templates from v3 to v4

Barcodeman’s template engine has upgraded from v3 to v4. Existing templates still work, but elements and sheet label margins may shift by 5–10 mm. Print a test sheet and fine-tune each template before printing on real labels.

What changed in v4

• More accurate rendering — higher precision for element positions and margins.
• Sheet margins from the physical sheet edge, matching Avery and other paper manufacturer specs.
• Faster preview and print.

The trade-off: v3 templates were drawn against the old coordinates, so the same values now land 5–10 mm off in v4.

Who is affected

Paper model	Affected?	Why
Sheet label (e.g. Avery A4 sheets)	Yes — most affected	Margins and element positions both shift relative to the sheet origin
Multi-column label	Yes — moderate	Column gap math changed
Roll label (e.g. Brother, Dymo, Zebra)	Usually not	No fixed offset to verify; the label is the paper

Migration workflow

Step 1 — Click “Needs upgrade” on each v3 template

Open Templates and click the Needs upgrade badge next to each v3 template.

Step 2 — Open the upgraded template

Open the (upgraded) template and check that the elements look right on the canvas.

Step 3 — Print a test page on plain paper

1. Go to the Product label page from the left sidebar.
2. Select the (upgraded) template you just upgraded.
3. Load plain paper in your printer and print one sheet to test the layout.

Step 4 — Compare against your real label sheet

• Roll labels rarely shift. If it looks right, you’re done.
• Sheet labels with a brand match (Avery, etc.): if it’s shifted, reselect the default template in Step 5 — for most users this is all you need.
• Custom sheets with no brand match: continue to Step 5 for manual adjustment.

Step 5 — Adjust the template

For sheet labels with a brand match (Avery, etc.), the fastest and most accurate fix is to reselect the default template:

1. Click Configure (top right) → Step 1 — Label & Paper.
2. Pick your paper brand and model.
3. Click Save.

For custom sheets with no default template match, you’ll need to adjust margins manually — see Labels Are Cut Off or Misaligned.

Tips

• Sheet labels: pick a default template first. Barcodeman now ships with many manufacturer-accurate defaults (Avery and more). Reselecting the brand + model in Configure step 1 is faster and more accurate than tweaking margins by hand.
• Roll label users: a single test print is usually enough. Sheet label users should re-verify every template that prints in production.
• Don’t move elements on the canvas to compensate for a sheet-level shift. Fix it at the paper / margin level so the layout inside each label stays intact.
• Keep the test print — tape it next to your printer as a reference for future verification.

Troubleshooting

• My shift is more than 10 mm — this is unusual. Double-check the Configure step 1 (paper brand, model, sheet size) matches the actual paper in your printer. See Template looks different when printed.
• Different shift on every label — check that you have not enabled “I want set manually” with mismatched row/column counts. The label grid should match your physical sheet exactly.
• Preview looks correct but print is shifted — this is the expected v3→v4 behavior. Follow the migration workflow above.
• Still misaligned after adjusting margins — contact support at hi@gookit.co with your test print photo and template name; we’ll help calibrate.