print to PDF yields multiple documents

I found a much better solution. It does not involve creation of multiple PDFs and rebuilding a single PDF by dragging one into the other.

1. In Word, choose to print.
2. Click "Page Setup"
3. Under Settings, change from "Page Attributes" to "Microsoft Word"
4. Set "Apply Page Setup settings to" = WHOLE DOCUMENT.
5. Click OK.
6. Switch back to "Page Attributes" and make sure your paper size is right (especially if it is customized).
7. Click OK.
8. Click PDF and choose a selection to build your PDF file.

In Word files without "SECTIONS" this option (above) seems to always default to "WHOLE DOCUMENT." However, in Word files WITH "SECTIONS" (such as when used for creating chapters in a book), it seems to default to "THIS SECTION" instead. This is the source of the problem. Every time I set it to "WHOLE DOCUMENT" I get a single PDF that is right and proper.

I gather this will not help someone whose Word file has sections that have differing page sizes. However, this should help many users not facing that problem.

This did not work very well for me. My documents have occasional pages in Landscape mode so they will print sideways. This creates section breaks. When I do Page Setup to the Whole Document, the Landscape pages revert to portrait, so no go.

I just switched from Windows to Mac. This worked fine on Windows, but Mac splits it into multiple documents that must be combined afterwards. So I'm still looking for a more elegant work-around.

The solution I mentioned would work for a book with chapters that are section breaks, so long as the book's pages (all the sections) had the same page size.

At the bottom of the solution, I wrote, "I gather this will not help someone whose Word file has sections that have differing page sizes. However, this should help many users not facing that problem."

I perhaps should also have mentioned that having a switching of page orientation from one section to another is beyond the help of the approach I posted.

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Had the same problem (though with Max OS X Mavericks). Somehow didn't know you could combine pdfs in Preview. Nice work around. Thanks, Jay Bullock!

This pdf problem is amazing to me!

The solutions that are presented require such contortions that it's nearly a deal-breaker for me. Why, if every little app in the PC world can accomplish pdf printing in a single process (without have to re-arrange and tweak and coddle the output, etc. as has been discussed here), why oh why can't the 'superior' OS do the same? Now, before everyone gets their holsters unlatched, I do recognize that part of the issue appears to be an Office thing, but really, why isn't anyone screaming their head off about this? Am I missing something?

[PS--the solutions presented above don't seem to be much help--when the process to print a simple document requires such interaction, we are stepping back 20 years.] I tried them, and none worked. [System: MacBook Pro, Mavericks]

Frankly, it makes Word and Excel nearly unusable. Excel is headed for oblivion, as it can't seem to handle much of what I have to throw at it in terms of real work, not just the page or two sales reports that MS seems to think is all that is done with this stuff.

Now, does anyone have a real solution? I don't think one exists.

Hello! I was having some trouble combining pdfs in Preview too, but was able to get it with the help of this post: Mac OS X v10.6: How to combine PDF documents using Preview

The key for me was, when you drag pages to be added, the mouse needs to hover somewhere over the existing pages, so the existing pages appear to be highlighted. This merges all the pages, rather than appending the new pages as a separate document.

Hope this helps 🙂

Guys, after having a long battle against Word, here's my solution:

a) Check this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjaTNf9EVc

b) Then this: http://www.word.mvps.org/mac/MultiplePDFs.html

Conclusion: Apply step a) for:

1) the whole document (Format > Document > Margins > Page Setup )

2) double click on every section brake ( a dialog will appear and then go to Margins > Page Setup )

3) Select all (CMD + A) and then do it again (Format > Document > Margins > Page Setup )

It worked for everyone in my office. 🙂

Can't get it working. Will try again.

I may have stumbled onto a solution, at least for some files: I have 161 pages divided into 35 sections, necessary for multiple chapters with vertical justification, chapter first pages with different headers, etc. and getting pages after endnotes. There is no difference of orientation: all portrait. I had no trouble until I inserted continuous sections for the last pages of chapters so the text would begin at the top. Then it gave me 3 files, then 5, and an abiding dislike of MS Word. However, when I saved the file under a different name, quit Word and started it up again and printed the new file as pdf, it worked fine: I got one single pdf. Maybe quitting Word was overkill, but it’s very satisfying.

I read somewhere that some section breaks are read as end of file markers. Well, if you save the file under a different name, it can only have one EoF marker or the file is completely corrupt. Anyway, that’s the reasoning.

I've had the same issue and it's been resolved using the drag and drop method in Preview.

Thanks

Hoping that someone is still reading this thread. I. too, am having this issue. From previous comments I learned to make a single PDF by following dbenoit's solution. I did try the merging of pdf's in Preview, but was having an issue with some of the PDFs changing sizes which messed things up even more.

Ok, so I can make a single PDF. This has created a new problem however. I am using the PDF to upload a book file. Since it is a book I have to check "Mirror Margins" (after clicking Layout, Margins, and Custom Margins). Now, though I have a single PDF, the text on every other page is cutoff along the side. It makes no difference if I click "apply to" and "whole document" under "Margins".

I am using Microsoft Word for Mac 2011.

Sure would be nice if Microsoft could see fit to fix this issue! 😢

If your Word document still looks the way you want it – which after changing page parameters to “whole document” may not be the case – try the solution I stumbled upon: “save as” to a new document and print as .pdf from that. Far less fussy that trying to merge documents.