Printing Troubleshooting Tips

Printing Help:

Problem: My Printer is broken/out of ink/I don't have a printer:

Answer: You can hand-write the address if you like. See Can I hand-write the address to send a book? for instructions.

If you plan to hand-write the address on your package:

- You will still need to view the address, either by downloading the .pdf file, or clicking the "backup wrapper" link (the "backup wrapper link" = the "click here" button to show the address in a printable webpage).
- The illustrations on the Wrapper Layout page are NOT the address that will show on the printed wrapper. "Book Lover" is the dummy/example address. You need to view the actual address in order to copy it.
- Remember you cannot use PBS-DC with a handwritten address, so don't choose this option if you plan to hand-write it.

Problem: I am getting the message "Electronic postage cannot be used for this address". What does this mean?

Answer: This message "Electronic postage is currently not available for this address" is an error message from endicia.com, our online postage provider, and often it just goes away if the sender tries again to print after a few minutes. If the Endicia downtime is for routine maintenance (this usually happens in the middle of Saturday night to early Sunday morning), it may take a few hours for postage to be printable again. If it lasts more than a few hours, please let us know (using the "send us feedback" button on the Contact Us page).

If the address is not validated by USPS, you may also see this message. See the above problem discussion for the information about address validation.

Problem: I am getting the error message "We experienced an error while trying to process your request. One of our partners' systems appears to be temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. " What does this mean?

Answer: This means that endicia.com, which provides our printable postage, is temporarily down and printable postage is temporarily unavailable. This typically will happen in the middle of the night during endicia's routine maintenance periods. In this case, the downtime might last a few hours. If it lasts more than a few hours, please let us know (using the "send us feedback" button on the Contact Us page).

Problem: I am not seeing the Wrapper Settings page when I click "Print Wrapper" on the request.

Answer: This is probably a popup blocker blocking the page from opening.

If you have popup blocker enabled, disable it (allow popups) for the PBS site (particularly the My Account page).
PBS does not have popup ads, so this is a safe thing to do.
You can do this in your browser settings.

Problem: Nothing happens (or I get an error message) when I click Print Wrapper Now on the Wrapper Settings page. The file won't download!

Answer: Tnere are two possibilities:

First: Check the estimated weight on the Wrapper Settings page.

If the estimated weight is crazy (like 50 pounds!), contact us to let us know the ISBN and title of the book(s) in the shipment (and the weight of the book(s) if you have this information), and we will correct the database.
Our database is compiled elsewhere and does have some erroneous/missing information for book weights. If the database estimate of the weight is too high, the wrapper won't print. This needs to be corrected manually, by us.
- After we have corrected it, you will be able to download and view/print the address file.

Second: If the estimated weight is ok, this is a download issue - either your computer is not allowing the download OR you have an issue with the software your computer is using to handle the .pdf file.

To "go around" the download issue completely - you can print/view the address without downloading the .pdf, by clicking the "ciick here" button (the Backup Wrapper link) on the Wrapper Settings page. This will take you to a printable webpage with the address information on it. That will skip the download.
Most members use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open .pdf files - if your copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader has gotten corrupted, you can download another copy here and install it. (in the meantime, the above solution - the Backup Wrapper - will work.) The "backup wrapper link" = the "click here" button to show the address in a printable webpage.

Problem: I can download/view the address, but I cannot print it.

Answer: This is a problem with your printer or your printer-computer setup.

Is there enough ink? do you have paper? is there an issue with your printer connection to your computer? Are you able to print other documents?

Problem: I can download/print the wrapper but I want to print with postage and there is no postage on the wrapper I printed.

Answer: Check the following things.

Make sure you are choosing the "postage" option on the Wrapper Settings page before you print.
Make sure you have enough money in your PBS Money account to cover the postage (paid to USPS) + 55 cents Printable Postage Fee (includes Instant Credit fee paid to PBS and the fee paid to the online postage provider).
Try using the "backup wrapper" link on the Wrapper Settings page - to bypass the download step and print from a printable webpage. The "backup wrapper link" = the "click here" button to show the address in a printable webpage.

Problem: I can get to the Wrapper Settings page but I can't get past that - I click Print Wrapper and I get a box telling me the page is not loading completely... or nothing happens at all after I click Print Wrapper Now.

Answer: This means your browser is not allowing the javascript to run that is necessary to print.

If you are running Firefox with an extension called Noscript, read this: NoScript and PaperBackSwap.
If you are not running NoScript, your browser is still not letting the javascript run that checks to be sure that (1) the requestor hasn't sneaked in and canceled the request and (2) that the requestor hasn't added another book to the request. You need to enable javascript and adjust your security settings to Med-High to fix this. See Configure your browser/system to work with PaperBackSwap for more information and instructions about this.

Help Center - Printing Troubleshooting Tips