Print area reduced

[e_mortal]

I have an issue with a customised document size (21cm X 10cm) when printing. When I go to print preview the print area is half the size of the document. If I change the margins, like making them bigger, the same thing occurs. I've used the same document for years and don't know what's happened.

Print layout
recibo3.png



Print preview
recibo1.png

[Charles Kenyon]

Could you attach a sample document with the problem?
Attach a Sample File Demonstrating the Problem - Here's How

[e_mortal]

Here

UPLOAD.docx

[macropod]

Check that your printer is configured to print in landscape orientation, the same as your page.

[e_mortal]

The printer setup is like this

recibo4.jpg

[e_mortal]

OK I've tried to create a new document with the same size and all margins of 1.27 cm and landscape orientation. When I try to save I get this message and if I hit "Fix" the printable area gets reduced.

Doc1.docx


doc1.png


doc2.png

[Italophile]

I can't replicate your issue, which indicates that you have a print driver issue. It is the driver for the printer that tells Word what paper sizes it supports, and what margins it requires for paper handling.
From your screenshots it looks as though the printer is expecting the orientation to be different. Have you checked the paper orientation setting in print properties? (Click the blue text under the printer name in Print Preview)

[e_mortal]

Thanks for the replies. Printer preferences have correct orientation but even if I change it between vertical and horizontal the issue continues. The printer is brand new with the firmware up to date.

[Italophile]

Originally Posted by e_mortal

I have an issue with a customised document size (21cm X 10cm) when printing. When I go to print preview the print area is half the size of the document. If I change the margins, like making them bigger, the same thing occurs. I've used the same document for years and don't know what's happened.

Originally Posted by e_mortal

Thanks for the replies. Printer preferences have correct orientation but even if I change it between vertical and horizontal the issue continues. The printer is brand new with the firmware up to date.

That is what happened. You changed the printer.

The issue isn't with the printer's firmware, it is with the driver, the software that gets installed on your computer that enables it to communicate with the printer. HP's drivers have had a bad reputation for a long time.

[Italophile]

Have you tried changing the paper size from 21cm x 10cm to 10cm x 21cm?

[e_mortal]

I've updated the driver manually from the HP website but the issue won't go away. I've also tried via Windows update but the printer does not appear as having any available updates.


Then I tried your other suggestion, changing the size dimensions around and the orientation, and that has worked I'm glad to be able to do so but it's annoying why I can't fix the original problem.

Thanks a lot for the help.

[Italophile]

Originally Posted by e_mortal

Then I tried your other suggestion, changing the size dimensions around and the orientation, and that has worked I'm glad to be able to do so but it's annoying why I can't fix the original problem.

But you have fixed the original problem. Look back at your screenshots and you'll see the clues were staring you in the face from the start.

The ruler showed you that your "printable area" was roughly 7.5cm wide. You already knew that your margins were 1.27cm, so roughly 2.5cm in total.

7.5+2.5=10, so it was clear that the printer expected the paper to be 10cm wide.

Given that paper sizes are usually set in portrait orientation, and that switching to landscape orientation means turning the paper through 90 degrees, it is clear that the printer understood your paper had been changed from 21x10 to 10x21, so changing the way you set the paper size is the obvious solution.

If you want a permanent fix, ditch the HP printer.