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PDF Page Designer — Complete Print Layout Guide
Last updated: April 2026
The PDF Page Designer is a built-in print layout tool that arranges barcodes and QR codes on a page, configures paper size, label dimensions, margins, and gaps, and exports a print-ready multi-page PDF — with no external label design software required. It works from a single barcode or QR code, or from a full batch of hundreds of codes generated from a CSV file. This guide explains every control in the Page Designer and includes guidance on matching the settings to common label stocks, avoiding the most common printing mistakes, and achieving consistently reliable scan results from printed labels.
How the Page Designer Works
When opened from the single barcode or QR generator, the Page Designer loads that one code and tiles it repeatedly across every cell of the label sheet — filling a full Avery 5160 sheet with 30 identical barcodes, for example. This is ideal for printing multiple copies of one product label, one WiFi QR code for a set of restaurant tables, or one FNSKU label for an Amazon FBA shipment.
When opened from the batch results panel, every generated code in the batch is placed into successive cells in order, paginating automatically across as many pages as needed. A batch of 90 unique product GTINs on an Avery 5160 layout (30 labels per sheet) produces a 3-page PDF, each page containing 30 different barcodes. The codes are placed left-to-right, top-to-bottom, matching the physical label order on the sheet.
The Page Designer renders barcodes from their SVG source at 12× scale during PDF export, which produces crisp output regardless of the label size. QR codes are similarly re-rendered from source data at export time — neither barcodes nor QR codes are scaled from the canvas preview image during export.
Settings Reference — Full Control List
Paper Size
Five paper sizes are available: US Letter (215.9 × 279.4mm / 8.5 × 11 inches), A4 (210 × 297mm), US Legal (215.9 × 355.6mm / 8.5 × 14 inches), A3 (297 × 420mm), and Tabloid (279.4 × 431.8mm / 11 × 17 inches). The page preview updates immediately when you change the paper size. For standard Avery and Uline label sheets, US Letter is correct in North America. Use A4 for label stock purchased in the UK, Europe, or Australia — even when using Avery brand labels, because Avery produces different sheet layouts for US Letter and A4 format.
Orientation
Portrait (tall, default) or Landscape (wide). For standard Avery 5160 and similar address-style label sheets, Portrait is correct. Use Landscape for wide-format shipping labels, horizontal label rolls, or any label stock where codes are wider than they are tall and benefit from more horizontal page space.
Label Size Preset
Selecting a preset from the dropdown populates the Item Width, Item Height, Columns, and Rows fields automatically with values matched to that specific label stock. The available presets and their specifications:
| Preset | Width | Height | Layout | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery 5160 | 66mm | 25.4mm | 3 × 10, 30 per sheet | Product labels, FNSKU labels, address labels |
| Avery 5163 | 102mm | 50.8mm | 2 × 5, 10 per sheet | Shipping labels, large product labels |
| Avery 5167 | 43mm | 17mm | 4 × 20, 80 per sheet | Small product labels, return address labels |
| Uline 1″ × 2.5″ | 63.5mm | 25.4mm | Custom — set columns/rows to match your roll | Inventory shelf labels, bin tags |
| Uline 2″ × 4″ | 101.6mm | 101.6mm | Custom — set columns/rows to match your roll | Warehouse shipping labels, carton labels |
| QR Label 50 × 50mm | 50mm | 50mm | Custom | Square QR code labels for menus, products, events |
After selecting a preset, verify the Columns and Rows values match your physical label sheet. The preset sets the item dimensions automatically, but the layout values may need adjustment if your label sheet has a different count than the default. Check your label sheet's packaging for the exact columns, rows, and gap measurements.
Columns and Rows
These fields set the number of label cells per row (Columns) and per column (Rows) on each page. Leave the Rows field blank to let the Page Designer calculate how many rows fit within the margins automatically based on item height, gap, and paper height. Set both manually when you need to match an exact label sheet layout where auto-fill would produce the wrong count.
Item Width and Item Height (mm)
The physical printed dimensions of each barcode or QR code in millimetres. These dimensions apply to the code image itself — label text is additive and appears below the code within the same cell. For a Label Size Preset, these are set automatically. For custom label stock, measure the printable area of one label and enter those dimensions here. Do not confuse the label cell size with the barcode size — the barcode is rendered to fit within these dimensions, with appropriate quiet zone margins maintained automatically.
Lock Aspect Ratio
When checked, changing Item Width automatically recalculates Item Height to maintain the code's original proportions, and vice versa. QR codes are always 1:1, so both dimensions update together. For 1D barcodes, the aspect ratio reflects the chosen bar height-to-width relationship. Leave this unchecked when you need to set width and height independently to fit a specific non-standard label dimension.
Margin H and Margin V (mm)
Horizontal (left and right) and vertical (top and bottom) page margins in millimetres. These define the distance from the edge of the paper to the first label cell. For standard Avery 5160 on US Letter paper, approximately 5mm left/right and 12mm top/bottom matches the physical sheet layout. The Centre H and Centre V buttons recalculate these margins automatically so the grid is perfectly centred on the page horizontally or vertically — useful when printing on custom stock where the correct margin values are not known.
Gap H and Gap V (mm)
Horizontal and vertical gaps between adjacent label cells. For Avery 5160, the horizontal gap between columns is approximately 3mm; the vertical gap between rows is 0mm (labels butt directly against each other). Match these to the physical gutter on your label stock. Incorrect gap values shift labels out of alignment with the adhesive die-cuts, which is the most common cause of barcodes printing on the wrong position relative to the physical label.
Working in the Page Preview
The canvas preview shows a live representation of the label sheet at the current settings. Each code in the preview can be individually selected and dragged to offset its position within its cell — useful for fine-tuning alignment on a specific label stock where the preset values are not perfectly matched. Blue snap guides appear automatically when a dragged item aligns horizontally or vertically with other items on the sheet. Press Escape to cancel a drag and return the item to its default position. Click Reset Positions to return all items to their calculated grid positions after individual adjustments.
The four Quick Align buttons operate on selected items: H-Center centres all items horizontally on the page; V-Center centres vertically; Eq H distributes items with equal horizontal spacing; Eq V distributes items with equal vertical spacing. These are most useful for non-grid arrangements where items have been individually dragged to custom positions.
Display Toggles
Three toggles at the bottom of the settings panel control what appears in both the canvas preview and the exported PDF:
- Labels: Shows or hides the text label beneath each barcode or QR code. Turn off for barcodes where the human-readable number below the bars is the only label needed and no custom label text was set.
- Grid (Borders): Shows or hides a thin border around each label cell. Useful for verifying cell alignment and checking that codes fall within the correct cell boundaries before printing. Turn off for the final export on pre-cut label stock where borders are not needed — the cut lines on the label stock itself define each label's boundary.
- Guides: Shows or hides blue margin and grid alignment guide lines in the canvas preview. These are visual aids only and do not appear in the exported PDF.
Multi-Page Output
When a batch contains more codes than fit on one page, the Page Designer flows items automatically across as many pages as needed. Use the ← Prev and Next → navigation below the canvas to preview each page individually before exporting. The page counter shows the current page and total count. Review all pages before exporting — check that the last page is correctly filled and that no codes are missing or out of order. The exported PDF preserves all pages exactly as shown in the preview.
Save and Load Templates
Once you have configured the Page Designer for a specific label stock — setting the correct paper size, orientation, columns, rows, item dimensions, margins, and gaps — click Save Template to save all settings to your browser's local storage. Click Load Template to restore those settings instantly on a future visit. This is particularly valuable if you regularly print on the same label stock and do not want to re-enter all values each time.
The template saves all current Page Designer state as a JSON structure in local storage. It persists across browser sessions unless you clear browser data. If you work across multiple computers or browsers, note that templates do not sync between devices — save the configuration on each machine separately.
Exporting the PDF
Click Export PDF to render all pages and download the file. The PDF is formatted to the exact paper size and dimensions configured in the settings. Barcodes are re-rendered from SVG source at 12× scale during export for maximum sharpness at any label size.
The Page Designer also exports a CSV or XLSX spreadsheet listing each code's grid row, column, label text, and detected code type (Barcode or QR Code). This is useful for record-keeping — the spreadsheet serves as a map of which label position on which page corresponds to which product, allowing you to trace any printed label back to its source data.
Choosing the Right Label Stock
For Amazon FBA FNSKU labels, Avery 5160 (30 per sheet, 1″ × 2⅛″) is the industry standard. These are widely available at office supply stores and online. Purchase laser-compatible stock — inkjet label stock can smear if the barcode is handled before the ink fully cures, which causes scan failures at Amazon receiving. For shipping carton labels (ITF-14 barcodes), use Avery 5163 or Uline 2″ × 4″ stock on a full-sheet laser printer for maximum bar definition.
For QR code table cards in restaurants, printing on plain card stock through the Page Designer and cutting manually is often more cost-effective than purchasing pre-cut label stock — a sheet of 6 QR codes printed on heavy card stock takes under a minute to cut and costs a fraction of specialty label media.
Frequently Asked Questions
My barcodes are printing in the wrong position on the label sheet. What's wrong?
The most likely causes are: (1) printing at a scale other than 100% — check that Fit to Page or Scale to Fit is disabled in your print dialog; (2) incorrect margin or gap values — compare your Page Designer settings against the measurements on your label sheet's packaging; or (3) wrong paper size selected — US Letter and A4 are different sizes and selecting the wrong one shifts all label positions. Check all three before printing another sheet.
How do I print 30 copies of the same barcode on one Avery 5160 sheet?
Open the single barcode generator, generate your barcode, then click PDF / Page Designer. Select the Avery 5160 preset. The designer automatically tiles the one code across all 30 cells. Click Export PDF and print at 100% scale on Avery 5160 label stock.
Can I print barcodes and QR codes on the same sheet?
Yes. Generate a mixed batch from the CSV Batch tab — include both barcode and QR code rows in your CSV using the type column to specify each format. Open the Page Designer from the batch results panel. The designer places both barcodes and QR codes in the same sheet layout, in the order they appear in the CSV, across however many pages are needed.
The label text is not showing in my exported PDF. How do I fix it?
Check that the Labels toggle in the Display Options is switched on before exporting. The toggle controls both the canvas preview and the PDF export — if it is off, label text is hidden in both. If the toggle is on but labels still do not appear, verify that the label column in your batch CSV has values populated for those rows, or that the Label Text field in the single generator contains text.
What is the sharpest way to export barcodes for professional label printing?
Generate barcodes as SVG format in the main generator, then open the Page Designer and export the PDF. During PDF export, the Page Designer re-renders all SVG barcodes at 12× scale from the original vector data — producing maximum sharpness at any label size with no pixel softness or interpolation artefacts. This produces reliably scan-compliant output for commercial label printing and thermal transfer printers. PNG-source barcodes use the canvas resolution and may show minor softness at very small label sizes — SVG source eliminates this.