Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Printing Close to the Edge.

Printing Close to the Edge

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 1, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Word supports any printer you can install for use with Windows. In most instances you can take full advantage of the features of the printer. This depends, of course, on the printer driver you are using to communicate with the printer. (It is the printer driver that makes printer features accessible to Windows programs, such as Word.)

If you try to print a document with page margins that are set too small, you may see an error message indicating, "One or more margins are set outside the printable area of the page. Choose the Fix button to increase the appropriate margins."

This error message pops up because the printer driver knows how close to the edge of the paper you can print with your printer. For instance, most laser printers cannot print closer to the edge of the paper than a quarter inch. Some printers require even more "dead space" at the edge of the paper. This is required because the printer uses this "dead space" to mechanically grip and guide the paper through the printer.

If you see the error message indicating your margins are set outside the printable area, you have two choices. You can either click on the Fix button and let Word make the change, or you can stop the print job and adjust the page margins yourself.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (838) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Printing Close to the Edge.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Identifying Merged Cells

Merging cells is a common task when creating worksheets. Merged cells can play havoc with the normal functioning of some ...

Discover More

Tying Workbooks Together

If you work with multiple workbooks at the same time, you might wonder how to tie them together so they open and close at ...

Discover More

Checking for an Entry in a Cell

You may be looking for a way to have a formula determine if a particular cell has anything in it. Here's how you can find ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Margins Incorrect when Printing

Endnotes are easy enough to add and accumulate in a document. For this reason, Word makes it easy to jump from one ...

Discover More

Printing in White

Word allows you to print in every color of the rainbow, but not in white. (Bad comparison; white is not a color of the ...

Discover More

Printing XML Tags

Word 2003 allows you to use and save your information in XML format. If you want to, you can have Word print a document's ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five less than 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.