Brochure printing doesn't scale to page

users
#1

Hi.
Just tried to post a question on the AskLO forum page. I don’t think I’ll use that again - I need “points” to post a picture (WHY?) and the link to a picture is totally un-intuitive.

Using Version: 5.2.2.2 Build ID: 8f96e87c890bf8fa77463cd4b640a2312823f3ad on MAC OS Sierra, with Epson WF 2660 printer
Two problems here. 1. In Print>Paper Handling the suggested paper size is US Legal, although every setting I can find is UK and A4. Why is this?
2. The brochure prints ok, but the text is reduced in size, i.e. doesn't fit the page as in the attached picture link.
How do I get a) the suggested paper size to A4, and b) how to get the pages to appear full-size in the brochure?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Vw7ioE7vbrVnJFakV1SHBLUmc/view?usp=sharing

Thanks
Gordon

#2

Using Version: 5.2.2.2 Build ID: 8f96e87c890bf8fa77463cd4b640a2312823f3ad on MAC OS Sierra, with Epson WF 2660 printer Two problems here.
1. In Print>Paper Handling the suggested paper size is US Legal, although every setting I can find is UK and A4. Why is this?

I'm not sure from what you say who is suggesting anything or which of these you actually want. Do you have US Legal paper to hand? I'm guessing that you are perhaps not using the brochure facility correctly,

2. The brochure prints ok, but the text is reduced in size, i.e. doesn't fit the page as in the attached picture link.

The text seems to fit the pages in your picture - though perhaps with oversize margins. Is that your problem?

How do I get a) the suggested paper size to A4, and b) how to get the pages to appear full-size in the brochure?

The method of using the brochure printing facility may not be intuitive. You appear not to be in the US, so I'm guessing that you will be wanting to print on A4 paper, folded to create an A5 brochure. If so, you need to set the *page format* in LibreOffice (Format | Page...) to A5 size and portrait orientation. Set the margins to those you actually want to see on the individual A5 pages - quite possibly smaller than you will be used to setting for A4 pages. When printing, using the brochure facility, choose *paper settings* of A4 size and landscape orientation. (Remember that LibreOffice and its stable mates - unlike some other software - treat paper size as a matter of document format, not just of printer set-up.)

In short, if you think this way, the statement in your Subject header, "Brochure printing doesn't scale to page" is correct - but that's how you'll want it.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#3

Perhaps slightly off-topic, but I'd love to hear what other regular visitors
to this forum think:

Paper Sizes and printing in LibreOffice is such a puzzle to me when I do
anything other than single-sided straight documents (which I don't do often)
that my regular practice is to always export to pdf (which has worked very
well for some time now) and print from the Acrobat Reader (which still works
in Linux in spite of what you hear). As usual, I learned some more from
Brian Barker's reply.

Whenever I open up the forum and see Brian's name, I immediately go to such
postings first, as his explanations are almost always clear and informative,
and often cover techniques not mentioned at all in Help (poor) or the
documentation (well done, but incomplete or at least not-comprehensive).

So my question is: who all thinks that Brian should gather up all his past
postings and edit them into a collection of "LibreOffice Tips and Tricks"
organized by subject - perhaps even limited to just Writer and/or Calc (or
two separate docs). I imagine many folks would pay a reasonable fee for such
a book (this would not be competition for Bruce Byfield's "Designing with
LibreOffice" book, but complementary).

Any thoughts, anyone?

#4

Perhaps slightly off-topic, but I'd love to hear what other regular visitors
to this forum think:

Paper Sizes and printing in LibreOffice is such a puzzle to me when I do
anything other than single-sided straight documents (which I don't do often)
that my regular practice is to always export to pdf (which has worked very
well for some time now) and print from the Acrobat Reader (which still works
in Linux in spite of what you hear). As usual, I learned some more from
Brian Barker's reply.

Are you having issues with double-sided printing? I had problems with an Epson Workforce printer that no one could figure out. Later, when the next version[s] of Ubuntu came out, the problem was fixed. The Epson drivers did not "play well" with that older version of Linux. Around that same time Linux Mint would not see my networked printers - wireless or wired. Since the Ubuntu version I was running on my main desktop saw those printers.

That type of issues with LO not able to get the printer to duplex stumped everyone.

Whenever I open up the forum and see Brian's name, I immediately go to such
postings first, as his explanations are almost always clear and informative,
and often cover techniques not mentioned at all in Help (poor) or the
documentation (well done, but incomplete or at least not-comprehensive).

So my question is: who all thinks that Brian should gather up all his past
postings and edit them into a collection of "LibreOffice Tips and Tricks"
organized by subject - perhaps even limited to just Writer and/or Calc (or
two separate docs). I imagine many folks would pay a reasonable fee for such
a book (this would not be competition for Bruce Byfield's "Designing with
LibreOffice" book, but complementary).

Any thoughts, anyone?

Yes

There is always a need for better and better help documentation. The key is getting and keeping the help instructions in a language that the basic, new, non-technical, users can understand. I been working with computers since before the first PC desktops came out. I saw all of the changes that made the computers go from refrigerator size to pocket sized.

Sometimes I cannot understand the help instructions I read here. Now that I survived a 3rd small stroke, it is getting even harder.

For me I do not use even a tenth of what Writer does, and use even less for Calc. Impress and Base are not used, or very rarely.

So. . . . having the help files, like the books, would be a good idea to have them separated by LO module. We have a "getting started guide[s]" and then books dedicated to one module.

Having a FAQ help book based on what worked here, would be great. A lot of work, but great.

#5

Hi Gordon,

Hi.
Just tried to post a question on the AskLO forum page. I don’t think I’ll use that again - I need “points” to post a picture (WHY?) and the link to a picture is totally un-intuitive.

Using Version: 5.2.2.2 Build ID: 8f96e87c890bf8fa77463cd4b640a2312823f3ad on MAC OS Sierra, with Epson WF 2660 printer
Two problems here. 1. In Print>Paper Handling the suggested paper size is US Legal, although every setting I can find is UK and A4. Why is this?
2. The brochure prints ok, but the text is reduced in size, i.e. doesn't fit the page as in the attached picture link.
How do I get a) the suggested paper size to A4, and b) how to get the pages to appear full-size in the brochure?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Vw7ioE7vbrVnJFakV1SHBLUmc/view?usp=sharing

Thanks
Gordon

I am not sure of either of your issues with your printer and page, but, I print in brochure format quite often with my early music group for concert program booklets. Here are the settings I use for US letter size that allows me to use the full width of the pages ... note that I am in Canada, where US Letter is the default paper size. However, you may be able to juggle some of the page settings around to fit an A4 page correctly. The point is that, the settings that I use allow the use of the full size of the brochure page (down to the page footer).

Here are my settings for Format->Page

Format: User
Width: 13.97cm
Height: 21.59cm
Orientation: Portrait

Margins:
Left: 1.27cm
Right: 1.27cm
Top: 1.27cm
Bottom: 1.27cm

Layout Settings:
Page layout: Right and Left
Format: 1,2,3

If you want a footer, then on the Footer tab

Footer: checkmarked
Same content left/right: checkmarked
Same content on first page: checkmarked
Left margin: 0.00cm
Right margin: 0.00cm
Spacing: 0.51cm
Use dynamic spacing: NOT checkmarked
Height: 0.51 cm
AutoFit height: checkmarked

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers,

Marc

#6

Thanks Marc.

Hi Gordon,

Hi.
Just tried to post a question on the AskLO forum page. I don’t think I’ll use that again - I need “points” to post a picture (WHY?) and the link to a picture is totally un-intuitive.

Using Version: 5.2.2.2 Build ID: 8f96e87c890bf8fa77463cd4b640a2312823f3ad on MAC OS Sierra, with Epson WF 2660 printer
Two problems here. 1. In Print>Paper Handling the suggested paper size is US Legal, although every setting I can find is UK and A4. Why is this?
2. The brochure prints ok, but the text is reduced in size, i.e. doesn't fit the page as in the attached picture link.
How do I get a) the suggested paper size to A4, and b) how to get the pages to appear full-size in the brochure?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Vw7ioE7vbrVnJFakV1SHBLUmc/view?usp=sharing

Thanks
Gordon

I am not sure of either of your issues with your printer and page, but, I print in brochure format quite often with my early music group for concert program booklets. Here are the settings I use for US letter size that allows me to use the full width of the pages ... note that I am in Canada, where US Letter is the default paper size. However, you may be able to juggle some of the page settings around to fit an A4 page correctly. The point is that, the settings that I use allow the use of the full size of the brochure page (down to the page footer).

Here are my settings for Format->Page

Format: User
Width: 13.97cm
Height: 21.59cm
Orientation: Portrait

Margins:
Left: 1.27cm
Right: 1.27cm
Top: 1.27cm
Bottom: 1.27cm

Layout Settings:
Page layout: Right and Left
Format: 1,2,3

If you want a footer, then on the Footer tab

Footer: checkmarked
Same content left/right: checkmarked
Same content on first page: checkmarked
Left margin: 0.00cm
Right margin: 0.00cm
Spacing: 0.51cm
Use dynamic spacing: NOT checkmarked
Height: 0.51 cm
AutoFit height: checkmarked

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers,

Marc

I could not get the brochure settings to work on my Ubuntu 16.04 and Canon MG 6220 and 5320 inkjet printers. The printout seems to make the printing to look like it is printed out in 4 or 6 point font size instead of 14 or 16 point, just like it would look with the print of 2 or 4 pages per side [ HP Laserjet printing setting - Properties > job options > pages per side ]

Since my printers [all of them] have troubles with small margin sizes, I tend to use the "Borderless Letter" for my posters and single-page fliers. I wish LO could have the "borderless" option. I need to create a PDF file and then choose the borderless paper option I need for 8.5x11, 8.5x14, 11x17, 13x19, inches. I make posters in all of those sizes, and 4x6 and 8.5x11 photo paper sizes.

When I get some time, I will try out your settings. They look good, but will need to see what they are in inches and not centimeters.

I have been using LO since the first version of LO when It came out of "RC". I do not know even a tenth of what LO can do. These lists help with the "functions" that I do not know or could not get working on my own.

By-the-by - - Which do you use for the folding style of the brochures? Z-fold or what I call "C-fold" where one "flap" is folded inside the other one. I have used both many times. Those which gets mailed without an envelope, get the C-fold. I also make 11x17 tabloid paper into newsletters and fold the sheets so they can be mailed without an envelope as well. The is one of the reasons I bought the large format printer. Been printing original copies for newsletters since 1990's +/- in letter size paper and originals in tabloid size paper since a few years ago.

I currently use 3 Canon inkjet printers - 5320, 5420, 6220. I use HP printers - Officejet 7000 E809a and Laserjet 2300dtn. Of these printers, only the Officejet does not duplex though the Laserjet sometimes jams with duplexing while paper feeding next blank sheet.