A landscape spreadsheet prints in portrait with columns chopped off, a letter comes out shrunk in the middle of the page, or a poster loses its edges. Orientation and scaling are set in three places: the app you print from, the printer driver and sometimes the printer itself. When those disagree, the results look wrong. This guide shows where each setting lives and how to make them match, starting with the app's print dialog.
What you might be seeing
- Landscape pages print in portrait, or the other way round
- Content is shrunk with wide white margins
- Text or images are cut off at the edges
- Mixed portrait and landscape pages in a PDF print rotated wrongly
Common causes
- App and driver disagree
- The app may send landscape while the driver's default forces portrait, or the reverse.
- Paper size mismatch
- A document set to A4 printed on Letter paper, or the other way round, gets scaled or cropped to fit.
- Fit or shrink options
- Settings such as fit to page or shrink oversized pages change the size of everything on the sheet.
- Automatic rotation
- PDF apps and some drivers rotate pages automatically, which can turn some pages the wrong way.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Set orientation in the app's print dialog
Open the print dialog with Ctrl + P and look for Orientation or Layout, then choose Portrait or Landscape. In word processors and spreadsheets, also check the page setup, usually under a Layout or Page Layout tab, since the document's own orientation should match. Watch the print preview after each change: if the preview looks wrong, the printout will be wrong too.
Check the scaling options
In the same dialog, find the scaling setting. PDF apps usually offer Actual size, Fit and Shrink oversized pages. Browsers have a Scale option under More settings. Spreadsheets often include choices like Fit Sheet on One Page. Pick Actual size or 100 percent for true-to-size output, such as forms, or a fit option when the whole page must squeeze onto the paper.
Match the paper size everywhere
Letter and A4 are close in size but not identical, and mismatches cause shrinking or cropping. Check the paper size in the document's page setup, the paper size in the print dialog, and the paper actually loaded in the tray. Many printers also ask for the paper size when you load the tray, so confirm the printer's control panel agrees. All three should name the same size.
Reset the driver's default preferences
Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners on Windows 11 or Settings › Devices › Printers & scanners on Windows 10, select your printer (choosing Manage next on Windows 10) and open Printing preferences. Check the default orientation, paper size and any fit-to-page or scaling option, since these apply whenever an app doesn't specify its own. Look for a Restore Defaults button if you're unsure what changed.
Handle mixed-orientation PDFs
When a PDF mixes portrait and landscape pages, look in the PDF app's print dialog for an Auto portrait/landscape or Auto-rotate option and turn it on, so each page is turned to fit the paper. If a few pages still come out wrong, print them separately with the orientation set by hand. Also confirm that a single fixed orientation isn't forced in the driver preferences.
Look for hidden zoom settings in office apps
Some word processors include a Scale to Paper Size option in the print dialog, often under the pages-per-sheet setting. If it names a different paper size from your document, everything is resized to fit that size, so set it to No Scaling. Also check that you haven't selected two or more pages per sheet, which shrinks every page to fit several on one sheet.
Run a control test in Notepad
Open Notepad, choose File › Page setup, select Landscape and print a line of text. If it comes out correctly, the driver handles orientation fine, and the problem lies in your other app's settings. If even Notepad prints the wrong way, update the driver through Windows Update's optional updates or the manufacturer's official website, or remove the printer and add it again.
How to keep it from happening again
- Check the print preview before printing
- Keep the document's paper size and the loaded paper the same
- Use Actual size for forms and anything that must print to scale
- Leave driver defaults alone unless you have a reason to change them
Common questions
Why does my printout come out slightly smaller than the original?
Usually a fit option is on, or the document's paper size differs from the paper loaded, so the app shrinks the content to fit within the printer's margins. Choose Actual size or 100 percent and match the sizes. Most printers can't print to the very edge of plain paper, so a thin margin is normal.
What's the difference between Letter and A4?
Letter is 8.5 by 11 inches and is standard in the US and Canada. A4 is 210 by 297 millimeters, slightly narrower and taller, and is used in most other countries. Documents shared internationally often carry the other size, which is one of the most common causes of unexpected scaling.
Why does a document print correctly from one app but not another?
Each app keeps its own page setup and scaling settings, and some override the driver while others don't. If one app prints correctly, the driver is working, so focus on the problem app's print dialog and page setup. Resetting its print settings, or pasting the content into a new document, often clears an odd setting.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.