How do I make front and back pages line up for duplex printing?

[dcoaz]

There is an 1/3 inch offset between the front and back pages of my duplex
document. I tried manually moving both pages 1/16 inch to correct the
misalignment, but that didn't correct the problem.

I cannot find a way to correct the offset within the Publisher application.
Can anyone help me?

Thanks

 

[Ed Bennett]

There is an 1/3 inch offset between the front and back pages of my duplex
document. I tried manually moving both pages 1/16 inch to correct the
misalignment, but that didn't correct the problem.

I cannot find a way to correct the offset within the Publisher application.
Can anyone help me?

Try adjusting the tolerances on the paper feed for your printer?

Are you automatically or manually duplexing?

 

[dcoaz]

Hi Ed.

I made a typo on my original message. the offset is consististently 1/8th of
an inch, not 1/3. The feed tray is set very tight to the width of the paper.

I am manually printing each side. If I could eliminate 1/16th of an inch of
offset on each page side, the alignment would be perfect.

Thanks for your consideration and help.

Rob

 

[Ed Bennett]

I made a typo on my original message. the offset is consististently 1/8th of
an inch, not 1/3. The feed tray is set very tight to the width of the paper.

I am manually printing each side. If I could eliminate 1/16th of an inch of
offset on each page side, the alignment would be perfect.

Did you instead try moving just one page 1/8" in the appropriate direction?

You may be working with tolerances smaller than your printer is able to
provide - in which case, you'll need a higher-quality printer or to move
to using a service bureau.

 

[Mike Williams]

I made a typo on my original message. the offset is consististently
1/8th of an inch, not 1/3. The feed tray is set very tight to the width
of the paper.

In which direction is the offset? What printer are you using, and what page
size and what settings? Are you printing using the standard unprintable
margins of your printer or are you using some sort of full bleed or minimize
margins setting? Most printers have a slight mechanical misalignment, but it
is typically very much less than the 1/8th of an inch you are reporting.

Perhaps your printer is misreporting the size of one of its unprintable
margins? Start a new single page Publisher document and place a rectangle
about one inch square on the page and set it so that the top left corner of
the rectangle is exactly one inch from the top left corner of the page.
Print the page using the same printer settings as you are using for your
main document and carefully measure the printed output. Is the rectangle
correctly positioned?

Now fill the rectangle solid black and position it so that it is at the
exact top left corner of the Publisher page and print the page again, using
exactly the same printer settings. Carefully measure the "white space" at
the top and left sides of the page (if there is any). Now start up a
Microsoft Word document and type a few words into it and print it using the
exact same printer settings. Then, with your Microsoft Word document still
open, use the MS Word File / Page Setup menu to set the top and the left
page margins both to zero. MS Word will tell you that one or more margins
are outside the printable area of the page and will offer a choice of "Fix"
or "Ignore". Click the "Fix" button. MS Word will set the top and left
margins to the values being reported by your printer. Do those margins agree
exactly with the measured "white spaces" in the Publisher page you just
printed? (By the way, there are other ways of discovering what margins your
printer is reporting to Windows if you do not have MS Word handy).

If there is a problem in those areas then check the web site of your printer
manufacturer to see if there is an updated driver for your printer.

Incidentally, you wouldn't by any chance be using a HP Photo 2575 printer
would you?

Mike