Can’t print in landscape

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Using Word 2000 SR1, I all of a sudden seem to be unable to print in landscape. What comes out is a condensed version in portrait mode. Works in WordPerfect, so I assume is not a printer problem. Any ideas?

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If by “condensed version”, you mean that the page is only taking half a page, then I’d guess that you inadvertently set the default to 2-up printing.

When printing landscape 2-up, yo uwould get the result you are seeing.

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No, I mean that the font is being “squeezed” (narrowed) so that what was formatted in landscape is being “fit” to a portrait format.

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I don’t have an answer but I do have a lot of questions that might help lead you to answers:

What OS and what printer? Perhaps it’s a driver issue

And is this a new machine or something that just started happening out of the blue?

And has any other software been loaded that might have affected the printer settings at the Windows level that might be interfering with Word’s instructions?

And is it actually pulling legal paper but the printing appears as you describe?

Could you have used scaling recently for any purpose and set it at the Windows level and Word is still reading that?

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Win98SE, HP 3100 printer, not new, out of the blue, and I’m not aware of any software that might affect printing. As I noted, the landscape function works fine in WordPerfect.

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We often have issues where either Word does fine and WordPerfect doesn’t or vice versa. Generally we have cured it by replacing the driver with a different one. However, since it was indicated your problem popped up out of the blue, and it’s occurring on all documents and not just one in particular – then perhaps your driver has become corrupted and deleting the printer and driver and rebuilding it would give relief.

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Sorry , but some more questions.

Does the Print Preview show the expected results or is that also condensed. ? Is the text distorted horizontally or is it just resized to fit the portrait page. ?

Is the entire document landscape or is it mixed. ?

Have you checked that the default printer is set as you expect and also that word is using it. ?

You might try setting the default paper to landscape in the printer settings (.i.e goto Start, Settings, Printers, Properties)and then trying again.

AC

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Print preview shows expected results.

Text is compressed horizontally. If it were a font, it would be referred to as “condensed” or “narrow.”

The problem occurs both when I try to print a single landscape page, or when the document is mixed.

The default printer is set correctly and Word is using it.

I tried setting the default printer to landscape. The first time I tried printing a single page in landscape, it worked. When I tried printing the first of a 2-page document in portrait and the 2nd page in landscape, it reverted to the same problem. I closed Word, restarted it, and again tried to print a single page in landscape. This time it did the compressed portait format again. Same thing when I tried to print the 2-page mixed format document.

One curiosity: This is a shared printer. I am using Word 9.0.3821 SR-1. My wife is using Word 9.0.2720. It works fine from her computer.

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Bob,

You came looking for answers and all you are getting is questions.

However it seems to be a Printer Settings problem and as your wife’s setup is working, perhaps if you compare all printer settings for both systems and see if there are differences, and if so you change yours to match your wife’s. If there are no differences I would try re-installing the printer driver.

I assume the problem occurs with all documents and fonts.

AC

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Oui, mon ami, but the questions he’s getting are aimed at producing a sensible answer to his problem in the long run. Otherwise the interim answer would have so many ifs and buts it would take up many pages – landscape or portrait.
Patience – it’ll come out alright in the end.

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Have you tried printing the document with Wordpad?

Have you tried defining a new printer?

Do you have a means to create PDF? If so, see if you can create a landscape PDF.

Do you have a means to open a Postscript file? If so, define a Postscript printer and see whether you can print landscape in Postscript.

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It prints landscape using Wordpad.

Defining a new printer yields the same problem.

Printing to pdf files yields variable results. Sometimes a single page set up as landscape prints as landscape, sometimes it prints in the condensed portrait format. A 2-page mixed format seems to print correctly as a pdf file.

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Check the printer settings under File/PageSetup. Also under File/Print/Properties.

Check the File/Print/Options and try unticking Allow A4/Letter paper resizing Also look at whether your paper source is correct.

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Hi Bob,

As others have suggested, the first step of trouble shooting a problem such as this is to update your printer driver with one from the manufacturers web site.

Even though it may print correctly in other applications, keep in mind each program sends information to the printer driver differently.

Not only that but the fact that is displays correctly in Print Preview indicates that Word is functioning correctly as it uses the printer driver to display the document in Print Preview.

Also, the document itself can be ruled out since it prints correctly from another workstation.
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Cheers!

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