Weird Margin hassles with Word 2000...?

[Kenneth]

Howdy,

I use Word 2000 to print labels to an OKI pin printer.

I am getting the error:

"The margins of section 1 are set outside the printable area
of the page..."

I understand what that error means, but am baffled still:

I have the driver for the printer set so that there is NO
non-printable area. That is, it is set to allow every part
of the label to receive text.

Given that, where is Word getting the information about
non-printable area, and how can I tell it to use the proper
data so that the errors will be suppressed?

Very sincere thanks,

 

[Anne Troy]

Ken: Word uses tables to set up labels (all that I've ever seen, at least).
The tables borders are likely outside the printable area. Tables, by
default, have almost a tenth-inch top and left margin on the cells, so while
the table cells might be outside that printable area, your data may not be,
and probably isn't. Except for the annoyance of it, I would ignore it.
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[Kenneth]

Ken: Word uses tables to set up labels (all that I've ever seen, at least).
The tables borders are likely outside the printable area. Tables, by
default, have almost a tenth-inch top and left margin on the cells, so while
the table cells might be outside that printable area, your data may not be,
and probably isn't. Except for the annoyance of it, I would ignore it.
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

Hi Anne,

I appreciate your comments, but they do not apply to my
situation:

I do not use Word tables for my labels.

Instead, I have a Word Template that reflects the label size
that I need.

Occasionally, I open a DOC based on that template, manually
type in the necessary text, and print a single label.

More typically, I print labels from my database. I click on
an address for which I need a label, and it dumps the data
to a file, launches Word, does a merge, and prints the
label(s) I need.

This all worked like a charm until I had to revert to an
earlier Registry hive (don't ask...<G>) and now, for some
reason, I have the margin-printable area problem I
described.

Thanks again,

 

[Anne Troy]

Ken: If you used a template that CAME with Word, then I assure you that the
odds are 99% that it was created using tables. Go to Table-->Show gridlines.
Having the driver for the printer doesn't guarantee "non-printable areas".
Virtually all printers have non-printable areas. See:
http://www.officearticles.com/word/troubleshoot_printing_issues_in_microsoft_word.htm
Perhaps that will shed some light. I don't know.
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[Kenneth]

Ken: If you used a template that CAME with Word, then I assure you that the
odds are 99% that it was created using tables. Go to Table-->Show gridlines.
Having the driver for the printer doesn't guarantee "non-printable areas".
Virtually all printers have non-printable areas. See:
http://www.officearticles.com/word/troubleshoot_printing_issues_in_microsoft_word.htm
Perhaps that will shed some light. I don't know.
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

Hi Anne,

I did not start with an existing Word Template.

I created the one I use, from scratch. There are no tables
involved in this issue. Really...<g>

I am confused by your comment that "Having the driver for
the printer doesn't guarantee "non-printable areas".
Virtually all printers have non-printable areas."

because I am not suggesting that there is no non-printable
area because I "have" the driver for the printer.

Of course I have the driver for the printer. Without that, I
could not use the printer.

The driver I have allows me to set the label to have no
non-printable area. It would not allow me to use that
setting were I attempting to apply it to letter size paper..

So, (and of course I may be wrong) I understand that (except
at the maximum size allowed by the printer) the issue of
non-printable area depends not on the characteristics of the
printer (hardware) but rather on the characteristics of the
driver (software.)

So, suppose for example, that we are talking about a printer
that can handle at maximum a standard letter size sheet. It
is most unlikely (as you have correctly described) that one
could print right up to the edges of the paper.

But, suppose using that printer's driver, we were to create
a new form that was just 4" by 4" centered on the letter
sized sheet.

We most certainly could set that form to zero non-printable
area because by doing so, we are not bumping up against the
inability of the printer to print to the edges of the larger
sheet we started with.

That is the situation I am in:

My printer can handle (at the maximum) sheets that are
letter size, but the labels I use with the printer are 4"
wide and 2" high.

I can definitely print to the edges of the labels (and far
beyond if I cared to.)

My problem is that I cannot get Word to believe that.

I do thank you for the link you provided, and will certainly
read it.

All the best,

 

[Kenneth]

On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 19:33:33 -0400, "Anne Troy"

Hi again Anne,

I just read the piece you suggested, but, for the reasons I
have described, it does not apply to my situation.

Thanks again,

 

[Anne Troy]

I'll be happy to have a look at your file, Kenneth...perhaps I can find some
reason for it. Who knows?

************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[Kenneth]

I'll be happy to have a look at your file, Kenneth...perhaps I can find some
reason for it. Who knows?

************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

Hi Anne,

What file...?

Thanks,

 

[Anne Troy]

The template?
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The unprintable area is determined at least in part by paper-handling
issues, not just the range of the print head. So even though the printer can
demonstrably print in the area occupied by your label, Word still assumes
that the printer requires some area at the top, sides, and bottom, to grip
the paper as it goes through the printer. Unless your label is actually
centered in a larger sheet of paper, then this may be the issue involved.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Word gets the information about printable area from the printer driver.
There are very few printers that allow printing to the edge of the paper so
if that is what you have set the margins to achieve that is the cause of the
error. Word will only use what the current printer driver will allow.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Kenneth]

The unprintable area is determined at least in part by paper-handling
issues, not just the range of the print head. So even though the printer can
demonstrably print in the area occupied by your label, Word still assumes
that the printer requires some area at the top, sides, and bottom, to grip
the paper as it goes through the printer. Unless your label is actually
centered in a larger sheet of paper, then this may be the issue involved.

Hi Suzanne,

I am pleased that you responded... (and realized a moment
ago as I offered my comments below, that I believe you have
provided the answer I needed.)

Here's the situation:

These are one-up tractor fed labels, that is a continuous
strip.

The labels are on a backing material.

If I define the dimensions of the template to be the
dimensions of the backing material (rather than the label
proper) I can certainly print to the edges of the label (and
beyond) should I make the template even larger than that.

I am not at the system right now, but it surely seems to me
that you have offered the solution:

My labels are 4" x 2".

I will just stretch the template to be, say, 6" x 4" and
place my text "in the middle." That will "fool" Word into
avoiding the margin issue altogether.

More later, and thanks again,

 

[Kenneth]

Word gets the information about printable area from the printer driver.
There are very few printers that allow printing to the edge of the paper so
if that is what you have set the margins to achieve that is the cause of the
error. Word will only use what the current printer driver will allow.

Hi Graham,

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, the printer will allow
me to print 11" wide, and any length I wish.

So, for my 4' x 2" custom label form, it will, indeed, allow
me to print to the edges.

All the best,

 

[Tony Jollans]

Priinter drivers don't normally allow you to make settings about their
capacity to print - they have the details built in and that is where Word
gets its information.

If you printer is really full-bleed capable and you have the correct driver
you shouldn't see the warning. That said, it _is_ only a warning and if you
override it you should get the printing you desire - if you don't, I think
it is a printer or printer driver issue, not a Word one.

 

[Kenneth]

Priinter drivers don't normally allow you to make settings about their
capacity to print - they have the details built in and that is where Word
gets its information.

If you printer is really full-bleed capable and you have the correct driver
you shouldn't see the warning. That said, it _is_ only a warning and if you
override it you should get the printing you desire - if you don't, I think
it is a printer or printer driver issue, not a Word one.

Ho Tony,

I am very appreciative of the comments you and others have
offered, and think that I have this working properly again.

All the best,

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

This approach is often necessary, not just to deal with nonprintable area
but also to handle situations where the printer doesn't recognize a custom
paper size and wants to feed it in a different location from where Word
thinks it's printing. As Tony says, you can ignore the "error" message, but
this is not practical in a mail merge (where you would have to click OK for
every single label) or when you are automating printing through VBA.

I have a printer that feeds small paper sizes in the middle of the MP tray
(there are two paper guides that converge, as opposed to the similar printer
model I had previously that had just one paper guide that closed in to the
left side), but it prints in the middle only on paper sizes that are defined
in the driver, not for small custom sizes defined in Word. For those paper
sizes, I have a choice of either feeding from the left, without benefit of
the paper guides, or setting up the document centered on Letter-size paper.
I generally choose the former, or occasionally a paper size is close enough
to a defined one that I can get away with just jiggering the margins, but
it's always a hassle, which is why I have so many templates for specific
small sizes of paper and envelopes (and even then I usually have to do a
test print to remind me whether to feed from the left or the center).