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Can't print large document in landscape orientation

I have a large document (16x32") that I am trying to print on a single legal sized page.

I have landscape mode selected in Page Setup, yet when I select Print and tell it to print to a single Legal page (under Paper Handling I select Scale To Fit Paper Size and then select US Legal), it ends up printing in portrait orientation--even though the preview in the Print dialog box has it in landscape.

I have printed this document before (a month or two ago) and it worked fine. There have been I think 2 updates in the intervening weeks, has one of the updates changed something about printing?

Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Details: Pages 5.1, OS X Mavericks 10.9.1, MacBook Pro (late 2008)

OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 2, 2014 1:14 PM

55 replies

Feb 3, 2014 6:15 PM in response to mdjettatdi

No it doesn't, and I just showed it to you that it doesn't.

Peter

mdjettatdi Author

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Feb 3, 2014 6:17 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter, I do not know why you are showing images of a portrait orientation graphics file. The graphics I am working with are landscape orientation.

Feb 3, 2014 6:28 PM in response to mdjettatdi

Because those were your settings:

Make the paper size 34 wide by 56 high.

As I said I did exactly the same thing with landscape orientation:

I really think you have confused yourself. You need to be systematic in your testing, naming and output.

Peter

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2014 6:32 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter, I have been systematic and I haven't confused myself. Obviously, you can't reproduce the bug I have found. Thank you for your help.

Has anyone else come across this problem? I am open to other users' suggestions.

Feb 3, 2014 6:36 PM in response to mdjettatdi

You are getting your dimensions wrong for a start.

I don't believe you have a bug at all unless it is in your printer drivers.

Peter

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 3, 2014 6:57 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Look, Peter, if there isn't a bug, then tell me where I am going wrong. Saying I'm "confused" or "have the dimensions wrong" isn't really much help at all, and if you are just going to keep your advice at that level, then perhaps you should just move along. What step am I missing? I have tried all your suggestions and they don't help.

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

2,993 points

Feb 3, 2014 7:02 PM in response to mdjettatdi

As I don't have a HP printer, I can only guess that the HP print driver is similar to the one for my Brother printer in that the print dialog does not have a control for paper orientation when choosing Scale to Fit in the Print dialog. It simply scales the width of the document to fit the width of the paper, which is what you are seeing. If I override the Page setup by choosing a different paper size, the print driver lacks a setting for landscape orientation. I think that is an omission in the Brother driver, not in Pages, because I told the print driver to ignore the page setup from Pages.

If you do not select "Scale to Fit" in the Print dialog, you can choose "Open PDF in Preview" in the PDF services menu, which will open a full-sized PDF in Preview. You can now select "Print…" in Preview and since Preview combines Page Setup in its Print dialog, it does provide controls for choosing a paper size, Scale to Fit and paper orientation.

Feb 3, 2014 7:07 PM in response to mdjettatdi

I don't believe you have.

I gave you each detailed blow by blow step.

You have got your width and height mixed up for what you want to output and I don't know what else you have as well, because you haven't shown us anything.

I note too that you haven't added anything to your layout that would give you scale and rotation so you can follow what is happening with your settings, which is why I suggested you add an Arrow centred in your page shape much as I did with my red bar.

I suspect you are using the Printer Drivers to generate the pdf as well. IF you are doing that it indicates that IF the results are as you say they are, they are due to a bug in your printer drivers, not Pages/OSX.

You seem fixated on proving your end conclusion rather than isolating the settings with controlled tests.

Peter

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2014 7:08 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter, I say again, I have tried everything you have suggested. None of your ideas worked. Thank you for your help.

Feb 3, 2014 7:20 PM in response to mdjettatdi

We hear that over and over again.

Show us the settings and the results.

I have shown you mine. Which work as expected, I would have thought you would actually want to solve this.

Peter

Never mind I am exhausted from try to lead this horse to water. I'll leave it here.

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2014 7:20 PM in response to Jeff Shenk

Jeff, your Preview workaround is even better--it saves me a step. I think you are right--the lack of orientation control in the Print dialog seems to be the problem. But I still do not think it is the HP (or Canon) driver that is the problem in the end, but we'll see if they publish an update.

I really appreciate your thoughtful and respectful help, Jeff.

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

2,993 points

Feb 3, 2014 7:21 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter,

I think he pretty much said that he is using the printer drivers to generate the PDF, since that is where he is setting the paper size and "Scale to Fit."

I don't think there is any bug here, and I agree with what you are saying, but I can duplicate what he is seeing if I try to override the Pages page setup in the Print… dialog.

Feb 3, 2014 7:27 PM in response to Jeff Shenk

Jeff

Probably. I suspected as much from early on but without specifics what can you do?

Heaven help him if he heads off to a commercial Printer with this job. Makes me wonder what else is going to go pearshaped.

Peter

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2014 7:35 PM in response to Jeff Shenk

Jeff, I am curious: I am not trying to intentionally override the Pages page setup in the print dialog, other than with shrink to fit. What do you see as the mistake here?

Again, I can't figure out why this isn't working all of a sudden. As far as I can tell, I'm not doing anything different from what I did several weeks ago when it was printing fine.

mdjettatdi Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2014 9:37 PM in response to Jeff Shenk

HA!

I was able to dig up a copy of Pages '09 (from my wife's computer--thank heavens she hasn't upgraded to Mavericks yet!).

I did everything just as I said in my previous message ("OK, guys, try this:").

The document prints correctly in landscape mode, with the exact same settings and the exact same HP and the Canon drivers that I was using with Pages 5.1. No problem.

I wasn't confused.

There is a problem with the update to Pages.

Can't print large document in landscape orientation