The relationship between first and second side images is evaluated to determine how the position of the paper and/or the size and arrangement of an image can be manipulated to compensate for paper shrinkage caused by fusing. Show through is reduced by performing setup to adjust a pixel clock frequency and/or a photoreceptor speed, determining a residual magnification error, determining margin shifts to compensate for the residual magnification error, and applying the margin shifts. Paper shrink effects on registration can be compensated for using determinations made during a typical printer setup. Show through errors can be reduced without using a paper conditioner to pre-shrink or re-wet the paper. In simplex and duplex printing, the show through errors worsen as the image moves away from the registration edge. Using information obtained during setup, a margin shift is determined that results in a significant reduction in the maximum show through for each image.