Word document on screen does not print exactly as shown; makes format errors

Question

I have created a word document which appears formatted exactly as I entered it. However, when printed, numerous formatting errors appear in line lengths, paragraph shapes and the like. How do I fix this?

Answer 1

The first consideration is whether the OS and/or Office is in need of being updated. Make sure the version you're using is fully updated. If you idicate the current Version Numbers of both they can be verified for you.

It that doesn't provide the remedy please see these Apple KBs: Troubleshoot Printing & Reset the printing system Printing is a service of the operating system. The program being used simply transmits the data to be printed including the layout instructions. What you see on screen is what should be rendered on paper if the print subsystem is functioning properly. Note that it is entirely possible for output from only certain programs may be affected. Most printer software provides several levels of service so it depends on which level the program requires — Word's requirement is among the highest.

If you need further assistance please provide a more descriptive explanation of the problems, particularly what is meant by paragraph shapes. Screenshots would be helpful as well.

I'd urge you to not try to interpret the dissertation rendered by the Q&A Assist bot. In fact, you can delete it if you wish. Unfortunately, AI can only scrape stuff on the web & regurgitate it but cannot think or troubleshoot. It just spits out everything it finds, much of which is irrelevant or pertains to a different platform.

Answer 2

Could you give some examples of these formatting errors? A couple of screen shots might help us diagnose the issue.

When you look at the preview at File > Print, does the doc look correct?

Also, if you create a PDF version of the document, do you see the formatting issues there?

Answer 3

Differences between what is seen on screen and what is printed are usually caused by layout settings, printer limitations, or view/print options rather than by “random” corruption.

Try these checks and adjustments:

1. Check margins vs. printer’s printable area

• If margins are set closer to the edge than the printer can handle, Word may truncate or reflow text when printing.
• Increase page margins slightly and reprint.
• If Word shows a warning like “The margins of section X are set outside the printable area of the page,” choose larger margins so all text fits the printable area.

2. Turn off markup (comments/track changes) when printing

• If the document has comments or tracked changes, Word reserves space for the markup area, which can shrink or shift the main text when printing.
• In the Print view (File > Print), set the print option to print “Document” only (not “Document showing markup”).
• Remove comments that are no longer needed; this can stop Word from reserving extra space and restore expected layout.

3. Ensure drawings/objects are printed correctly If pictures, shapes, or other objects are missing or misaligned on printout:

• Go to File > Options > Display (or Word Options > Display) and make sure “Print drawings created in Word” is selected.
• Turn off “Use draft quality” under File > Options > Advanced > Print.
• Make sure you are in Print Layout view when checking layout; Draft/Outline views do not show all graphics and can mislead about final layout.

4. Avoid extreme or exact line spacing that can alter layout

• If line spacing is set to “Exactly” with a value too small for the font size, Word may adjust layout differently when printing.
• Select the affected text, open Paragraph settings, and set Line spacing to “Single” (or another non-Exact option), or increase the “At” value to be slightly larger than the font size.

5. Check zoom and view mode only for diagnosis

• Zoom and view mode (Draft vs. Print Layout) affect only what is seen on screen, not the printed output, but Draft view hides graphics and some formatting. Always verify layout in Print Layout view before printing.

If, after these steps, the printout still does not match the on-screen layout, test with a different printer driver or printer; printer-specific printable areas and drivers can change how Word paginates and wraps text.

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References:

• You receive an error message when you try to print a document in which margins of section are set outside the printable area of the page in Word
• A picture or an object may not appear in a Word 2010 or Word 2007 document
• An additional page that contains document information is printed in Word
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