Can anybody help with a printer issue?

[Sue]

I bought a very cheap HP printer on Friday as a stop-gap after an expensive Epson printer I ordered arrived with a faulty hinge and the top hanging off at one side :( So much for quality control :(

Everything is fine, in fact a lot better than I expected for the price, except that it won't print properly from A4 Word documents. I just get A5 sized text in the top right corner of A4 paper (or sometimes in the middle).

Photos, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs and selections of text from websites all print normally.

I realise this is something to do with the settings either in Word or the printer, but I have (I think) been through absolutely everything on both and everything is set to A4. There seems to be no option to select "print to actual size" or whatever, which might have helped if there had been.

I've also done all the turning on/off stuff.

The printer firmware is up to date, and also Windows automatically updates on my laptop.

I originally thought it might be due to trying to print a document with narrow margins, but even printing with normal margin size has the same issue.

I have been all through the HP online virtual help - which didn't help. I phoned HP and - surprise surprise - everybody was busy. They are supposed to be phoning back and haven't.

I am tearing my hair out because surely this must be a really simple issue to resolve, and I have wasted hours on it.

Are there some settings somewhere which I may have missed, probably within Word, which is causing a mismatch with the printer?

ETA: I have never had this problem with any other printer I have ever had.

[ianr]

Sounds as if it's maybe set to print more than one page per sheet. Check that control.

[Sue]

Thanks I will have a look. I could test it out by printing a two page test.

[ed_pete]

I don't know which version of Word you're using but a workaround could be to save as PDF and then print the PDF ?

[Sue]

ed_pete Wrote:

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> I don't know which version of Word you're using

> but a workaround could be to save as PDF and then

> print the PDF ?

Thanks that might work but it would mean I'd have to have a different PDF every time I edited the Word document, assuming I wanted to print out each edited version.

With long documents I find it easier to have a hard copy rather than scrolling backwards and forwards on the screen.

And presumably I'd have to save each page as a separate PDF so it could get rather unwieldy- I'm working on a sixty page document at the moment!

ETA: It's Word 2016

[diable rouge]

Check the option in Word for a print review before printing, if it shows the print like you're experiencing then it's a Word problem, if it shows a correct A4 preview then it's the printer that's causing the problem...

[RichH]

Sue Wrote:

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> ...The printer firmware is up to date, and also

> Windows automatically updates on my laptop.

You mean the printer driver?

A bit of a long shot but double check that you are actually using the latest, genuine HP driver:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/printers

The last time I had printing problems it was because my genuine Epson drivers had been surreptitiously replaced for Microsoft ones during a Windows Update. Took me ages tinkering around before I noticed that they weren't the real McCoy :))

[Sue]

Sue Wrote:

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> Thanks I will have a look. I could test it out by

> printing a two page test.

OK, so I had four pages with Test Test Test at the top left of each page.

If printed out four pages each with Test Test Test towards the right of each page.

Shame as I had high hopes that that was the problem :(

[Sue]

RichH Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sue Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > ...The printer firmware is up to date, and

> also

> > Windows automatically updates on my laptop.

>

> You mean the printer driver?

>

> A bit of a long shot but double check that you are

> actually using the latest, genuine HP driver:

>

> https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/printers

>

> The last time I had printing problems it was

> because my genuine Epson drivers had been

> surreptitiously replaced for Microsoft ones during

> a Windows Update. Took me ages tinkering around

> before I noticed that they weren't the real McCoy

> :))

Thanks for that, I only got the printer on Friday and I don't think there has been a Windows update since then, but just in case I will do as you suggest, deffo worth a shot.

Not till tomorrow though, I've been out most of the day and I'm knackered :))

[ed_pete]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ed_pete Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I don't know which version of Word you're using

> > but a workaround could be to save as PDF and

> then

> > print the PDF ?

>

> Thanks that might work but it would mean I'd have

> to have a different PDF every time I edited the

> Word document, assuming I wanted to print out each

> edited version.

>

> With long documents I find it easier to have a

> hard copy rather than scrolling backwards and

> forwards on the screen.

>

> And presumably I'd have to save each page as a

> separate PDF so it could get rather unwieldy- I'm

> working on a sixty page document at the moment!

>

> ETA: It's Word 2016

You can save the whole doc as a PDF, just use the Save As function. Suggestion was just a quick workaround until you find a proper solution.

[seemster]

Yes, agree with Ed-pete - and when you save it as a PDF you?ll then be able to compare what adobe does to what the printer does. If the Word doc looks normal when saved as a PDF then it?s even more likely to be a problem with printer / printer driver / printer software.

I had this weird thing where one of my laptops was, quite literally, shooting blanks. Everything I sent to print came out as a blank page. I had to uninstall the HP printer software - then reboot (that is so important!)- then reinstall from the HP website and all fine now. May be worth a try.

[Sue]

Thanks, will try that tomorrow!

[Sue]

diable rouge Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Check the option in Word for a print review before

> printing, if it shows the print like you're

> experiencing then it's a Word problem, if it shows

> a correct A4 preview then it's the printer that's

> causing the problem...

Sorry, I had missed this.

It shows the correct A4 preview, so it's a printer problem?

This is really stupid of me, but when all this started I tried to reinstall the printer driver, but when I had to find the exe file I couldn't find it. I thought it would be in downloads but it wasn't there, then I did a search on the whole of the PC (laptop) and still couldn't find it.

Also, I presumably need to find the existing driver files to uninstall first. Where would they be? Long time since I've had to do anything like this, and I'm getting more senile by the minute :)

[Sue]

seemster Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes, agree with Ed-pete - and when you save it as

> a PDF you?ll then be able to compare what adobe

> does to what the printer does. If the Word doc

> looks normal when saved as a PDF then it?s even

> more likely to be a problem with printer /

> printer driver / printer software.

>

> I had this weird thing where one of my laptops

> was, quite literally, shooting blanks. Everything

> I sent to print came out as a blank page. I had to

> uninstall the HP printer software - then reboot

> (that is so important!)- then reinstall from the

> HP website and all fine now. May be worth a try.

Thanks very much Ed_pete and seemster, the pdf workaround has - er - worked.

I'm very grateful. I'll use this for the time being until I have a few spare hours to do all the other stuff :))

ETA: the PDF printout looks exactly like the Word printout (using my previous, now dead, printer) so that deffo means it's a printer problem rather than an issue with the Word settings?

[ed_pete]

Actually Sue I still think it's a Word issue rather than a printer issue. Logically Word and Adobe Reader are using the same software to access the printer so I can only assume that Word is sending some information that renders the page as A5 rather than A4.

[Sue]

ed_pete Wrote:

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> Actually Sue I still think it's a Word issue

> rather than a printer issue. Logically Word and

> Adobe Reader are using the same software to access

> the printer so I can only assume that Word is

> sending some information that renders the page as

> A5 rather than A4.

Ah, OK. Not sure where to go from here, then!

[KalamityKel]

Sue, do you still have your old printer showing up as installed on your PC?

If so either uninstall or make sure your new printer is the default.

Are you able to print correctly with any other Microsoft programme such as excel, paint etc? (Adobe is not the same)

It could also be Word issue.. you might want to consider reinstalling the package.

Are you able to test the printing on another PC/laptop/tablet etc to see if the problem follows over?

[seemster]

Hi, reaching the end of my ability to help but agree with Kalamity that word and adobe are not the same!

To do the reinstall that I was suggesting. Go to HP website and search for your printer. Opt to download software or drivers and then it will ask if you want to uninstall old - then follow instructions (I think that?s what I did anyway)

[diable rouge]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you able to test the printing on another

> PC/laptop/tablet etc to see if the problem follows

> over?

This is a good option providing it's not the same Word software, and should determine whether the printer or your Word software is at fault...

[Sue]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> Sue, do you still have your old printer showing up

> as installed on your PC?

I have uninstalled the old printer but still have to uninstall the drivers, which seems more complicated

> If so either uninstall or make sure your new

> printer is the default.

My new printer is definitely the default, and the old one doesn't show up anywhere

> Are you able to print correctly with any other

> Microsoft programme such as excel, paint etc?

> (Adobe is not the same)

Yes, it prints Excel spreadsheets with no problem. I haven't tried it with Powerpoint.

>

> It could also be Word issue.. you might want to

> consider reinstalling the package.

>

Yes that had occurred to me, but I will need to dig out the physical package, I think it had some kind of password rather than a CD, so not sure if I can instal it again? Will have to investigate. It was for only one device I think.

> Are you able to test the printing on another

> PC/laptop/tablet etc to see if the problem follows

> over?

I could try it from my mobile or ask my partner to bring his laptop over, but don't have time to do that at the moment, too much else to do, need an hour or two with no distractions!

Thanks so much for your help, everybody!

[Sue]

seemster Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> To do the reinstall that I was suggesting. Go to

> HP website and search for your printer. Opt to

> download software or drivers and then it will ask

> if you want to uninstall old - then follow

> instructions (I think that?s what I did anyway)

I did do that, but it didn't ask if I wanted to uninstall the old printer, just to click on a link to install the new one. Then I couldn't find the exe file to click on that.

I've tried several times.

Perhaps I need to uninstall the new printer first before I can reinstall it. Maybe it won't override the existing file, or whatever it is.

As I think this is a Word issue, I don't really want to uninstall the new printer and then reinstall it, until I have printed out what I need to (in particular, I need to print out a ticket list for 27th which I can't do yet as it's provisional).

[Sue]

I will try taking my laptop elsewhere and printing a Word document on somebody else's printer. Can't do that till the weekend though.

[ce2011]

Is it a wireless printer? if so and you have the option send it to your phone to print. I've got similar issue no printing from laptop but I can print from my phone wirelessly. Weird!

[Sue]

Yes it is wireless, however I have now printed a Word document from my laptop on somebody else's printer connected by a USB cable.

This came out absolutely fine, in the usual A4 format.

Therefore that implies Word is OK and there must be something wrong with the printer settings on my new printer, no?

I don't have my printer with me here, so I can't look again.

[Sue]

Have had a helpful response from HP via Facebook messaging.

Involves uninstalling and reinstalling stuff so shan't be doing it yet.