Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

The second error message you got often results from a glitch in the Columns
setting. Go to Format | Columns, click on the preset picture for One and
click OK. See if that resolves the issue.

Alternatively, if Word and your printer won't cooperate to print a specific
small paper size, the standard workaround is to set the document up on a
standard size (US Letter, for example), increasing the margins as required
to locate the print area on the paper area.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"OhioTech" <OhioTech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:E979405D-EB94-46F2-8603-FF76B15AF509@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(See WORKAROUND at bottom)

Review the original problem:

Start Word, new document. Default paper size: 8.5 x 11
Margins: Top and bottom 1, Left and right 1.25

Change paper size to 7 x 9

Word shows message A: "One or more margins are set outside the printable
area of the page. Choose the Fix button to increase the appropriate
margins."

$ Question 1: What is a "printable area"? Look in Word Help; it's Not
Found.
Technical terms in messages should be defined in Help; this is a Word
problem.

$ Question 2: What is the specific printable area in this case?
If Word determines this from the print driver, why can't Word display it
to
me?

$ Question 3: Which margin (shown for 8.5 x 11 doc) is "set outside" the
"printable area"? If Word determines this from the print driver, why
can't
Word tell me which margin is a problem?

I then clicked Fix, as Word told me to do.

Word changed the margins to: Top 1, Bottom 9.5, Left 3.75, Right 3.75.

$ Question 4: On a 7x9 document, how did Word calculate each of these
margins? Even a new user can see the Bottom, Left, and Right margins are
INVALID. Word approved the changes knowing the doc size, so it's another
Word
problem.

After clicking OK, Word shows message B: "The settings you chose for the
left and right margins, column spacing, or paragraph indents are too large
for the page width in some sections."

$ Question 5: Why does Word blame me (the settings YOU chose) for changing
the margins?
I did not enter the new margins. The only other party here that I know
about
is Word. Word told me to click Fix. As a new user, I know nothing about
Word
interacting with print drivers.
A more accurate and helpful message is: "The current print driver has
determined a new Left margin value, which is invalid. For more
information,
see Help under xxxxx."

$ Clicking on Ignore, and then entering data into doc, do Print preview,
the
data is not there. Ignore evidently means more than simply ignore the
message.

WORKAROUND

Lexmark Tech Support suggested this:
Go to Control Panel, Printers, Properties (of specific printer being
used),
Printing Preferences, Paper Setup. Select Custom size, enter 7 x 9.

Repeat exercise in Word. Now I do not get message A.

Then I go back to Control Panel and change back to standard Letter (8.5 x
11).

Repeat exercise in Word. I still do not get message A.
In Word, change paper size to other custom sizes. No message A.

What has happened? It appears that going into Control Panel and specifying
7x9 custom size has told Word that ANY custom size is OK from now on (even
after Control Panel shows standard Letter again).

And I do not know how to make the problem occur again.
This also causes confusion!

I would like to get more information about the relationship between Print
driver, Control Panel, and Word. For example, did Control Panel change the
print driver? What exactly does Word consult to determine "printable area"
and valid margins? Is it not reasonable to want to understand the rules?




"TF" wrote:

I say again that this is not really a Word problem. I can certainly do
custom sizes smaller using a Canon printer driver. Maybe your printer
driver
is corrupt or out of date. Check to see if there is a newer driver and
then
delete and reinstall the driver.

Word has not change the margins to an invalid value off its own bat: it
is
the printer driver that determines these settings and NOT Word. Where
does
Word blame the user?

Surely IGNORE needs no definition. It means the same in any version of
the
English Language.

Printable Area is defined as 'Area that is Printable'. Every printer
(well
standard home/office printers) has a narrow unprintable area around the
page
(unprintable border). Older InkJets had a huge unprintable area at the
bottom of the page, but usually the unprintable area these days is
around
5mm all around the page.

If you want to print to the edge of a page, you need to go to a print
shop
where they have printers that 'bleed' to the edges. (Many Photo Printers
have an option to print photo to the edges of special paper though.)

Terry

"OhioTech" <OhioTech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5ACDD418-A396-4808-B191-5CD6CE81763A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
: Word is not helpful in these ways:
: >Term "printable area" in message is not found in Word Help.
: >Word did not provide way for user to get additional information.
: >Word did not explain effect of clicking Ignore option.
: >Word tells user to click Fix to resolve problem, but it does not
resolve
problem; instead
: >Word changed margins to INVALID values for paper size of 7 x 9, then
: >Word blames user for choosing bad values.
:
: This is NOT user friendly!
:
: I checked with the printer manual; it states custom sizes are OK; just
load
: paper on right side. I printed an Excel sheet on 7 x 9 paper. The
printer
: printed the info and advanced the paper thru. That's exactly what I
expected.
: If it can do this, I'd say the print driver supports 7 x 9 paper.
:
: I wouldn't think that a paper size smaller than standard 8.5 x 11
should
be
: a problem. If the print driver supports 8.5 x 11, what's the problem
with
a
: smaller size? The printed image starts at upper left corner as we see
it
on
: screen, and transferred to actual paper as it is driven thru the
printer.
:
: I would think this would be a "piece of cake" for Word.
: I'm greatly disappointed.
:




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins
    ... Evidently Word interrogates the settings in Control Panel also, ... Is that the same as what the Print Driver has? ... to change the margins as it did. ... Should Word know that a 9.5 margin is invalid on a document 9 inches high? ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)
  • Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins
    ... Word interrogates the printer driver. ... Printer's documentation (usually set out as the minimum margins). ... : $ Question 2: What is the specific printable area in this case? ... If Word determines this from the print driver, ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)
  • Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins
    ... "One or more margins are set outside the printable ... If Word determines this from the print driver, ... Then I go back to Control Panel and change back to standard Letter (8.5 x ... change paper size to other custom sizes. ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)
  • Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins
    ... If the printer driver provides the wrong information to Word, ... The printable area (or specifically the non-printable areas should be in the ... Printer's documentation (usually set out as the minimum margins). ... If Word determines this from the print driver, ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)
  • Re: Change paper size; Word changes to invalid margins
    ... If the printer driver provides the wrong information to Word, ... Printer's documentation (usually set out as the minimum margins). ... If Word determines this from the print driver, ... Then I go back to Control Panel and change back to standard Letter (8.5 x ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)