Scaling problem

[Peter]

I'm trying to print a 10 x 7 inch two sided card. On the screen the size is
correct. The paper I'm printing on is 8.5 x 11 (standard letter). When it
prints the 7 inch direction is correct the 10 inch direction is being reduced
by about 1/8 inch. So when I print each side, they don't line up.

Everything was working fine for a while. My guess is I did something to
confuse my computer - so it's teaching me a lesson and confusing me back.

Does anybody know how I can fix this problem?

Thanks,

Peter

 

[Mary Sauer]

It may have something to do with your printer margin limitations. Take a look at
print preview, there is an icon on the toolbar so you can see two pages at a
time.

Tutorial: Finding your Maximum Print Area
http://ed.mvps.org/Static.aspx?=Publisher/horidiag

 

[Peter]

Mary,

Thank you for the input. I think the printer limitations are some of my
problems. However, is the document suposed to "shrink"? If it was
exculsively a printer issue, wouldn't some of the picture just not print?

Thank you,

Peter

 

[Mary Sauer]

Does your printer have a "shrink to fit?" If the back and front isn't positioned
exactly, it won't print back to back. For example, if you have the front of the
card positioned near the left margin, when you turn the card over the back
should be positioned near the right margin.

The best idea would be to center both sides. If your printer limitation is .5"
you should have a good print.

I simply don't know why your printer is shrinking the publication. There maybe
some information in the printer manual or online support.

I cannot remember hearing about a Publisher document shrinking on its own
without input from the printer.

 

[Matt Beals]

The "roll out" of a printer is not all that "accurate". If on an 11 x 17
printer you print at 100% (software and in the printer driver) you a
line that is 2 inches thick and 16 inches long you may very well end up
with a line that is approximately 2 inches thick and anywhere from 15.5
inches to 16.5 inches depending on the printer.

I ran into this a lot doing business forms printing where we might run
60,000,000 ATM slips. The prints we would get from banks with
instructions to print from the laser prints were always off. They were
never accurate.

If you flip the paper over to print on the back side of the sheet you
introduce another complex variable. It is seemingly simple, and it
really is. But printers are made like printing presses where tolerances
are exceptionally tight. To have any hope of doing it correctly you
would have to center the art in center of the sheet or flip the feed
edge margins with the tail edge margins when you flip the sheet.

In all reality, just "ain't gonna happen" with any degree of
repeatability or accuracy. Maybe I should correct myself. It will happen
repeatably poorly.

Matt Beals
Consultant
Enfocus Certified Trainer
Markzware Recognized Trainer
(206) 201-2320 - Main
(720) 367-3869 - eFax
mailto:[email protected]

Come visit me at:

http://www.automatetheworkflow.com
http://www.mattbeals.com
http://forums.mattbeals.com

Friends don't let friends write HTML email

 

[Peter]

Matt,

Thank you for the input. I think you are correct about the printer just not
being too accurate. Its frustrating, but I guess that's why printers are
fairly cheap.

Peter

 

[Peter]

Thanks Mary,

I looked a bit at the "shrink to fit" concept. But now its printing just a
bit small (about 1/16 of an inch). I can live with it.

Peter