How to troubleshoot printer output issues in Word 2000

This article provides suggestions for how to diagnose and resolve issues in which the printout from Microsoft Word 2000 does not look the way that you expect.

Examples of printer output issues include (but are not limited to) envelope positioning problems, missing graphics, and inaccurate page numbers.

This article does not address complete print failure, such as error messages and other messages that appear when you try to print, unresponsiveness from the printer, and files that are printed as meaningless symbols. For ideas about how to troubleshoot print failure in Word, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The topics covered in this article appear in the following list. Each section contains a list of related known issues:

• Envelopes and Labels
• Envelope Positioning and Feed Problems
• Avery Labels
• Custom Labels
• Continuous Form Feed Labels
• Text on Labels Prints Gradually Higher on Each Page
• Known Issues


• Page Layout
• Cannot Print in Landscape Orientation
• Footers Are Cut Off or Do Not Print
• Text Runs into Margins or Is Cut Off on Right or Left
• Known Issues


• Page Numbers
• Page Number in Footer Is Cut Off or Missing
• Page X of Y Numbering Prints Incorrectly
• Known Issues


• Symbols and Text
• Documents Print As Meaningless Symbols
• Some Characters Print Incorrectly or Do Not Print
• Known Issues


• Graphics, Objects, and Pictures
• Images Are Displayed on Screen But Do Not Print
• Poor Resolution When You Print Images
• Page Borders Are Cut Off or Do Not Print
• Known Issues


• Check the Word Program Files and Settings

Envelopes and Labels

The following are some common envelope and label printing problems and suggestions for correcting them.

Envelope Positioning and Feed Problems

If addresses do not print in the correct position on your envelopes, verify that the feed method and orientation that you selected in Word match the specifications for the printer. To determine the correct feed and positioning for your envelopes, refer to the printer documentation.

To check the envelope feed method in Word, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Envelopes and Labels.
2. On the Envelopes tab, click Options.
3. On the Printing Options tab, change the feed method to the correct orientation and position, based on the documentation for your printer, and then click OK.
4. When you feed the envelope into the printer, follow the Feed Method diagram on the Printing Options tab. Be sure to note the options for Face up, Face down, and Clockwise rotation.

If you select the correct feed method and verify that you are feeding the envelope according to the prescribed method, follow these steps to test in WordPad:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click WordPad.
2. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
3. In the Paper Size list, select the envelope type that you are printing.
4. For the Orientation, select Landscape, and then click OK.
5. Type the return address.
6. Press ENTER three to five times to move the insertion point about halfway down the envelope.
7. On the Format menu, click Paragraph.
8. Type 3" in the Indent Left box, and then click OK.
9. Type the delivery address.
10. On the File menu, click Print Preview to verify the delivery address position.
11. If the address does not appear to be centered, click Close and then adjust the indent or the number of returns.
12. When you are ready to print, click the Print command on the File menu, and then click OK or Print.

If you experience the same problem when you print an envelope in WordPad, contact the printer manufacturer for an updated version of the printer driver. See the "References" section later in this article for information about contacting a third-party vendor.

Avery Labels

If your issue involves printing an Avery label type, one possible workaround is the Avery Wizard for Microsoft Word 2000. The Avery Wizard is a free download that guides you through the steps of printing or mail merge to Avery label types. For more information about this third-party product, visit the following Avery Web site: The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Custom Labels

If you are having trouble printing a custom label, try to redesign the labels in the Label Options dialog box.

For more information about how to create or modify custom labels, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Continuous Form Feed Labels

If you are having trouble printing a continuous form feed label (also called a "fanfold" label) on a dot matrix printer, try setting it up as a custom paper size rather than as a label.

To set up a custom paper size, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
2. Select the Paper Size tab.
3. In the Paper size box, select Custom.
4. Type the width and height of the form that you are printing in the Width and Height boxes, and then click OK.
5. Do not use the labels feature when you print, but instead print as a normal document.

Text on Labels Is Printed Gradually Higher on Each Page

If the text on each subsequent page of labels gradually creeps up the page, refer to the first article in the following list of known envelope and label print issues.

Known Issues

The following articles document known envelope and label printing issues in Word 2000. If you find a match for your print issue, click the article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Page Layout

Many print issues that involve headers, footers, and margins result from confusion about Word features such as section breaks, headers and footers, and odd and even page numbering.

To resolve page layout issues, it is important to have a general understanding of how these features work and how they affect document printing.

For more information about headers and footers and odd and even page numbering, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The following are some common page layout printing problems and suggestions for correcting them.

Cannot Print in Landscape Orientation

If you select Landscape orientation in the Properties dialog box for the printer instead of selecting Landscape orientation in the Word document, you may have a problem printing in landscape orientation.

To correct this problem, set the orientation for the printer properties back to Portrait, and then select Landscape orientation in the Page Setup dialog box in Word.

To access the Properties dialog box for the printer, click Print on the File menu, and then click Properties.

To select Landscape orientation in Word, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
2. Select the Paper Size tab.
3. Select the setting that you want in the Apply to list.
4. Select Landscape for the Orientation setting, and then click OK.

If you still cannot print in landscape orientation after you verify the settings in the printer properties and in Word, contact the manufacturer for an updated version of the printer driver. See the "References" section later in this article for information about contacting a third-party vendor.

Footers Are Cut Off or Do Not Print

The footer may be cut off or may not print if it is too close to the bottom edge of the page and subsequently falls outside the printable region for your printer. To correct this problem, increase the From edge measurement for the footer by following these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
2. On the Margins tab, select Whole document in the Apply to box.
3. In the Footer box, select 0.7" and then click OK.

Text Runs into Margins or Is Cut Off on Right or Left

The text may run into the paper's margins or may be cut off on either side of the paper if you inadvertently apply a negative indent value to paragraphs in the document. To correct this problem, set the indents back to zero by following these steps:

1. Select the text that is running into the margin, or press CTRL+A to select all text in the document.
2. On the Format menu, click Paragraph.
3. Under Indentation, select 0" for the Left and Right values, and then click OK.

Known Issues

The following articles document known page-layout printing issues in Word 2000. If you find a match for your printing issue, click the article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Page Numbers

Many print issues that involve page numbers result from confusion about Word features such as section breaks, headers and footers, and odd and even page numbering.

To resolve these issues, it is important to have a general understanding of how these features work and how they affect document printing. For more information about headers and footers and odd and even page numbering, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The following are some common page-numbering print problems and suggestions for correcting them.

Page Number in Footer Is Cut Off or Missing

The page number in the footer can be cut off or missing if the footer is too close to the bottom edge of the page, and the page number subsequently falls outside the printable region for your printer. To correct this problem, increase the From edge measurement for the footer by following these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
2. On the Margins tab, select Whole document in the Apply to box.
3. In the Footer box, select 0.7" and then click OK.

Page X of Y Numbering Prints Incorrectly

If your "Page X of Y" numbering is printed as "Page 1 of 1," "Page 2 of 2," "Page 3 of 3," and so on, refer to the first two articles in the following list of known page-numbering and page-order print issues.

Known Issues

The following articles document known page-numbering print issues in Word 2000. If you find a match for your print issue, click the article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Symbols and Text

The following are some common text and symbol print issues and suggestions for correcting them.

Documents Print As Meaningless Symbols

If your documents print as meaningless symbols, your print issue falls within the category of print failure. For more information about troubleshooting print failure, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Some Characters Print Incorrectly or Do Not Print

If certain characters print incorrectly or do not print at all, try changing the font of the characters and printing again.

To change the font, follow these steps:

1. Using your mouse pointer, select the text or symbols.
2. On the Format menu, click Font.
3. Select a common TrueType font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, and then click OK.

If the problem does not occur when you use a different font, the cause of the problem is probably a damaged font or a damaged printer driver.

If another printer device is available, try to print with it to determine whether the same problem occurs. This may quickly tell you whether the printer driver is causing the problem.

For help with reinstalling or updating the printer driver, contact the manufacturer. See the "References" section later in this article for information about contacting a third-party vendor.

Note The steps in the preceding articles are comparable to the steps for testing and reinstalling fonts in Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition.

If changing the font does not help, try this: Change the paragraph style for the problem text to Normal, and then remove all direct formatting from the selection. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Using your mouse pointer, select the text or symbols.
2. On the Format menu, click Style.
3. In the Styles list, select Normal and then click Apply.
4. With the text or symbols still selected, press CTRL+SPACEBAR and then press CTRL+Q to remove all direct character formatting and paragraph formatting, respectively.
5. Try again to print the document.

If the problem persists, make sure it is not specific to this particular document. To do this, type the same characters into a new document, and then print the document.

If you do not see the same symptoms in a different document, the document file is probably damaged (corrupted).

Known Issues

The following articles document known text and symbol printing issues in Word 2000. If you find a match for your print issue, click the article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Graphics, Objects, and Pictures

The following are suggestions for correcting some common print issues that involve graphics, objects, and pictures.

Images Are Displayed on Screen But Do Not Print

If graphics and pictures in your documents are displayed on screen but do not print, verify the setting for Drawing objects in the Options dialog box by following these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Select the Print tab.
3. Select the Drawing objects check box (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.

For more information about view and print settings for graphics and pictures, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Poor Resolution When You Print Images

If images look clear on the screen but print poorly, you may be using an inappropriate file format.

For example, some graphic file formats are specifically designed to display well on screen for use in Web browsers, and others are used more widely for printing. Or, a graphic file format might work well for photographic images but not for images with sharp color contrasts.

For more information about graphic file formats, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Other graphic printing problems are specific to individual pictures or to a particular source of pictures. Check for this by testing other images and sources.

Page Borders Are Cut Off Or Do Not Print

If your page borders appear on screen but are cut off or missing when printed, refer to the first article in the following list of known graphic and picture print issues.

Known Issues

The following articles document known print issues with graphics, objects, and pictures in Word 2000. If you find a match for your print issue, click the article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Check the Word Program Files and Settings

If the problem still occurs after you try the suggestions in this article, you can check the Word settings and program files.

Check the Word options and settings by starting Word with only the default settings. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit Word, and then quit Outlook if you are using Word as the e-mail editor.
2. Click Start and then click Run.
3. In the Run dialog box, click Browse.
4. In the Browse dialog box, locate WINWORD.EXE. By default, this file is in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office.
5. Select WINWORD.EXE and then click Open. The file path, enclosed in quotation marks, appears in the Run dialog box.
6. In the Open box, move the insertion point after the final quotation marks in the file path.
7. Type a space, and then type /a.
   
   The text in the Open box should resemble the following:
   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\WINWORD.EXE" /a
8. Click OK to start Word with the /a command-line switch, and then try again to print.

If you cannot reproduce your print issue after you start Word with its default settings, you can resolve the problem by permanently resetting Word to its defaults.

If the print issue continues to occur when you use the default settings in Word, try running Detect and Repair to reinstall any missing or damaged program files. To run Detect and Repair, follow these steps:

1. On the Help menu in Word, click Detect and Repair.
2. Click Start.
3. Insert the Word or Office CD-ROM if prompted, and then click OK.

For information about how to contact third-party vendors, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.