Help PLZ!! Printing Shipping Labels - Separate problems within 2 different browsers --HELP!!!

[GKCreative]

I'm having separate and different problems printing shipping labels in BOTH Internet Explorer &  Firefox & am hoping the brilliant folks here will be able to help me with both!!  Thank you in advance for any help!!  I have tried to outline the problems here in a very detailed fashion, so any members will know exactly the steps I've taken and what the browsers are doing in response.

PROBLEM #1 regarding FireFox Version 7.1: 

When I went to print some shipping labels (for USPS shipments) using my Firefox browser, now all of a sudden, it is printing the labels out in a very small size & NO Java Applet pops up like it's always done in the past.  I am still using the same regular HP inkjet printer to print out all my shipping labels through PayPal that I've been using the entire last few years since I started my online business .   I've checked my printer settings in PayPal shipping preferences & they still show the Lasert/Inkjet printer checked off.  I am still using the same 2-per-page 4" x 6" size shipping labels I've always used, so I have no idea what else to do to correct this.  FYI--I've been using Firefox to print labels in the past with no problems, however, I recently updated the Firefox browser to a more current version, which is 7.1.

I checked the forum here for suggestions & one suggestion was that I needed to re-download Java, but when I went to the Java Dowload pages it directed me to, it showed a Java download for Windows 7, but I have a Vista 64 bit OS.  It also gave me a message that it had detected that I have a 64 bit OS, but at times, that I also use 32 bit applications, so I might need to download versions for both 64 & 32 bit---now how the heck could it know that???  Anyway, because it never showed an option for Vista, I didn't download anything & gave up trying to print labels in Firefox. 

PROBLEM #2 with Internet Explorer 9: 

The reason I had gone back to printing my shipping labels using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer is that lately, IE is giving me a problem when attempting to print out my labels.  Although the labels will print out in the correct size using IE, (meaning they are NOT printing out in that tiny size that is happening in Firefox), there is ANOTHER and DIFFERENT problem in Internet Explorer.  I believe this began around the same time that I updated to IE9, but I'm not 100% certain that's what caused this issue. 

What happens now in IE 9, is when I go to purchase a shipping  label & then print it, it takes me through the screen on the USPS option where I select the type of mailing, the weight, etc., & then at the bottom of the page, I click on the button that says "PAY & CONTINUE".  It then brings up the SAMPLE label image in the printing module (and it shows: "Powered by Pitney Bowes" at the top of this deialog box), & on this page I have the options to either press the button that says" PRINT LABEL, or the other button which says: "PRINT SAMPLE LABEL".  When I click on the PRINT LABEL button as I always have done before, now it FIRST brings up a dialog box that at the top says "message from webpage" & then below within the dialog portion, it says " The shipping label has been sent to your printer.  Please check the label before closing this window. Click OK if the label printed  successfully.  If the label did not print, click Cancel & then select Print Shipping Label to try again".  This would be alright except for the fact that my HP printer's dialog box is now located BELOW this other dialog box, & it used to be on TOP of it.  This creates a problem because I can't get to my HP's print dialog box to even click on the word "PRINT" so I can print-- the PayPal shipping label dialog box is on TOP of it.  So I have to click on OK in the PayPal Shipping Label print box BEFORE I can even get to my HP's box to print the label.  So what I'm doing is I have to say OK first, meaning I'm acknowledging that my label printed out successfully BEFORE I ever even get a chance to print it at all!!!!  These 2 dialog boxes (1 from PayPal's shipping labels, & 1 from HP, which is the normal Print dialog box) are now REVERSED from the positions they've been in for the past few years--meaning that my HP's Print dialog box was ALWAYS on top before this, so I could actually print out the label & then examine it to make sure it did print successfully BEFORE I had to then respond if the label was OK or not in the PayPal shipping label dialog box.  I can not for the life of me figure out why or how these 2 dialog boxes got in this reverse order, but I want to know how to fix it & bring it back to the way it's always been, because now I can not Print anything until I answer & respond first (by clicking) on either the button that says "OK" or the button that says "Cancel".  It's completely backwards now & I feel like when I click on the button for "OK  just to get the PayPal shipping label dialog box closed so I can then get to my printer's own dialog box so I can actually print out the label for the first time, that if it DOES happen that there is ever something wrong with the label after I finally get to print it, that I would have already told PayPal that the label printed out OK & now I have to contridict myself & I worry that PayPal will look at me unfavorably for that!!!

Can anyone please help me solve these 2 separate problems within 2 separate browsers??  I'm at my wits end!!  Thanks so much in advance!!

[bridgetliberty]

Did you ever resolve I am having the same problem.

Thank you, Bridget

[GKCreative]

---

@bridgetliberty wrote:

Did you ever resolve I am having the same problem.

Thank you, Bridget

---

Hi Bridget,

No, so sorry, but I never figured it out & sadly, no one ever came on here to try to answer me either,  But if a solution is ever given to me here, I will be sure to come back in & share the information.  If by chance you ever run across the solution, would you do the same for me please?? It would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks so very much.

[jenbatt]

I have had these same odd problems for some time now. I really hope an answer is posted!

[TechHelper]

Hi GKCreative,

Thanks so much for detailed description of your issues; i was going to let it pass but you put so much effort in your write up that it deserves some kind of response. I have never printed a PayPal shipping label, but I do have knowledge with Windows and would like to make a suggestion. Next time you get the two dialog boxes you should try to switch to the Printer dialog box by toggling Alt+Tab until you find the dialog box  you want or you can use the task manager to get to that dialog box (click Start, and type 'taskmgr' in the run box, select the Applications tab, then highlight the desired application, and finally click 'Switch To' at the bottom. If that does not work just Google 'task manager in Windows Vista' and figure out how to open it in your Windows.

I also found of interest your mention of 64 bit and 32 bit. For compatibility reasons,I think you should use 32 bit browsers over 64 bit browsers if possible. Sometimes the plug-ins and java applets are not 64 bit compatible.

[GKCreative]

THANK YOU soooooo much for taking the time to respond with your very detailed reply!!!  I had never heard of being able to perform these functions to put the PRINT back into the correct order before, so I'm anxious to give your suggestions a try once I return back to work!!!  I will also keep your instructions to use in other circumstances as well as needed--thanks!!!

Once I return from my long vacation & have some shipping labels to print out, I'll come back here & let the community know if this fixed my problems.

Thanks again!!!!!!  Much appreciated!!!!!

[TechHelper]

Here is a page with some older Java versions:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/archive-139210.html

In case you wish to try an older version that might have worked better with Firefox. I hope everything works out.

[mrmrsh]

Just upgraded to internet explorer 9 and am having the same problems. Please help!!!!!!!

[brewhardware]

The problem listed for Firefox is a print option called "scaling". In firefox go to File, Scale, and make sure it says 100%. I can't help with IE because I make believe it's not installed on my machine. Go firefox or Chrome.

[GKCreative]

First let me please say thank you for your response.  It is much appreciated.

I went into Firefox, then to FILE, but there was nothing there that said SCALE.  I looked around a while & found it under FILE, PAGE SETUP,  & on the PAGE SETUP SCREEN there's a section called SCALE.  Mine was set at 80%, so I changed it to 100% (and am just hoping that I didn't mess up the scale of everything else I print, since everything else prints out fine EXCEPT for the shipping labels).  Unfortunately, because I've been taking vacation, I don't have any shipping labels that need printed out right now, but once I do, I'll come back & let this community know if changing the SCALE percentage did indeed fix this problem in Firefox.

Thanks again!