Printer driver, page size and 3.4.4 in Lion

users
#1

I have a 4x6 card I need to print. In other apps I just select 4x6. In
LibreOffice I need to go into "Paper Handling", click "scale to fit
paper size" before I can select the 4x6 size. When I do that, the print
size is reduced to the point of being almost unreadable.

I want to select 4x6 without changing the font size. In Preview and
similar apps the page size is selected in the main print screen and you
don't have to go into Paper Handling.

I used LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) before to print these cards but now
it isn't working.

#2

Have you tried to set the page size to 4x6?

Page

instead of letter size in the drop box, go to User
then set the size to 4 x 6 inches and the margins
to the smallest your printer will allow.

I did this and created a 4x6 page and went to Print
and selected my laser printer

it showed the 4x6 card in the media type for printing.

So did you define your page to the 4x6 inch card?

I wonder if there is a "technical name" for it, like A4 or B2?

If I tried to print it to a PDF file [not export to PDF] using
CUPS-PDF, it defaulted to an envelope size, not the card size.

#3

Robert

I have a 4x6 card I need to print. In other apps I just select 4x6. In
LibreOffice I need to go into "Paper Handling", click "scale to fit
paper size" before I can select the 4x6 size. When I do that, the print
size is reduced to the point of being almost unreadable.

I want to select 4x6 without changing the font size. In Preview and
similar apps the page size is selected in the main print screen and you
don't have to go into Paper Handling.

I used LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) before to print these cards but now
it isn't working.

What OS and printer are you using?

Which version of LO are you using?

#4

In article <bob-825CE2.18521203012012@news.gmane.org>,

I have a 4x6 card I need to print. In other apps I just select 4x6. In
LibreOffice I need to go into "Paper Handling", click "scale to fit
paper size" before I can select the 4x6 size. When I do that, the print
size is reduced to the point of being almost unreadable.

I want to select 4x6 without changing the font size. In Preview and
similar apps the page size is selected in the main print screen and you
don't have to go into Paper Handling.

I used LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) before to print these cards but now
it isn't working.

I found a work-around. The printer driver doesn't have 4x6, but it has
a #10 envelope, which is 4.13 but longer than 6. By adjusting the
document to shift the material by 1/8" I can get it to print correctly.
I then have to remember to change the printer driver back to letter!

This is a real kludge but I don't have to do it very often. The obvious
solution is for Apple to include a 4x6 setting in its driver or for
LibreOffice to set the page size in its print dropdown. The latter is
better since the driver will automatically reset to letter.

#5

Hi :slight_smile:
The "scale to fit" is likely to scale down (reduce in size) whatever you are trying to print in order to fit the paper-size.  It can be a useful feature but obviously not in this case!

Perhaps

Format - Page - Page (2nd tab) - Paper size

Is a better option?  Don't worry.  We have all done something similar at some point so you are not alone.  Happy new year!
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#6

LibreOffice (and OOo) have serious printing problems on Macs when using sizes other than the standard letter and legal sizes.

A workaround: Go to File/Export as PDF, and save the file. Open the saved PDF with preview and print.

#7

W dniu 2012-01-05 01:21, Larry Gusaas pisze:

I used LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) before to print these cards but now
it isn't working.

LibreOffice (and OOo) have serious printing problems on Macs when using sizes other than the standard letter and legal sizes.

A workaround: Go to File/Export as PDF, and save the file. Open the saved PDF with preview and print.

Especially LO 3.4 series has got trouble with printout, as you mentioned it other that legas sizes. I use LO on Linux and do printout even A4 in landscape is horror. In old OO print the same document is OK.

#8

In article <je2qdg$scq$1@dough.gmane.org>,

LibreOffice (and OOo) have serious printing problems on Macs when using sizes
other than the
standard letter and legal sizes.

I was just going to post a "Where's the bug?" message. I guess I don't
have to.

LibreOffice = 3.4.4
Format->Page->Page=4x6, landscape
Mac OS 10.7.2
System Preferences->Print & Scan->Default paper size = US Letter

This prints landscape to a US Letter sized page on every printer I tried.

System Preferences->Print & Scan->Default paper size = #10 Envelope

This prints landscape to a #10 Envelope sized page.

Unfortunately, the Mac print driver does not provide a 4x6 option.

My work-around is to select #10 Envelope, landscape in LO and #10
Envelope in the Mac print driver. My previous work-around was to shift
the 4x6 page by 1/8" to fit the #10 Envelope size in the driver, but
this is better.

#9

In article <4F0552FE.8070902@wetzel.pl>,

Especially LO 3.4 series has got trouble with printout, as you mentioned
it other that legas sizes. I use LO on Linux and do printout even A4 in
landscape is horror. In old OO print the same document is OK.

Aha!! That explains why this used to work but now it doesn't.

Why is this so small? My newsreader seems to lack a font size option so
this is what it is! Maybe it will get translated to a reasonable size.

#10

Robert Peirce wrote (05-01-12 11:58)

In article<4F0552FE.8070902@wetzel.pl>,

Especially LO 3.4 series has got trouble with printout, as you mentioned
it other that legas sizes. I use LO on Linux and do printout even A4 in
landscape is horror. In old OO print the same document is OK.

Aha!! That explains why this used to work but now it doesn't.

From the 3.2 to the 3.3 code there has been large (major) changes in print handling (prepared by OOo)
One of the changes is that printing looks more to what is defined in the driver - hmm difficult to find the proper words.
Anyway, in the old situation I could define my own A5 page - in the new one I have to use A4 (what my printer driver understands) and place the contents so, that it comes correctly on the paper (envelope most of the time).

Would be helpful if some people could go through the issues that without doubt will be in BugZilla, so that there are a few clear descriptions covering the real problems.
Would be much appreciated by the devs since it makes it easier for them to use their time effective.

Regards,

#11

What printer are you using?

Was its printer specs showing the 4x6 card as one of its supported media types?

If not then that is the issue. If there is 4x6 as one of the printer's supported media, then it must be the driver.

As for LibreOffice setting the page size, I did state that with defining the size of the page in the document with Format>Page created a 4x6 page and then my HP Color Laser printer defaulted to that size, but called it a photo card, not a post card. So on a Ubuntu 10.04 system and a HP laser printer, it works fine.

#12

It does not work on Macs. Setting Format/Page to 4x6 or Envelope #10 print to letter size printer on both my Brother laser and Canon InkJet printers. There is no option in the print dialogue to choose the paper size.

There have been serious problems for Mac printing in OOo (LibreOffice has inherited them) since OOo 3.0 . Every upgrade and fix has created new or modified problems.

#13

In Linux, whenever I print to non-A4-sized paper (usually envelopes), the paper size in printer settings is, usually automatically, set to "Manual". This generally produces correct output.

On the Mac, not only is there no option to set paper size in the Print dialog, but there is no "Manual" paper size setting.

I don't know if the Manual paper size comes from the system or LO/OOo, but it is sorely missed on the Mac side :slight_smile:

Dominik Wnęk

#14

Then how do Mac people print their own photos on the 4x6 photo paper? We can do that with Windows and Linux.

Mac computers were advertised as the best for graphic processing, but if they cannot print the graphic/photos to their proper size media, then something it terribly wrong.

I have to problems with printing to the small photo paper media with my Ubuntu and Windows versions for LO.

#15

Then how do Mac people print their own photos on the 4x6 photo paper? We can do that with Windows and Linux.

By using programs that do not have broken print dialogues. I print photos using Preview, or one of several other programs i have that open jpegs.

Mac computers were advertised as the best for graphic processing, but if they cannot print the graphic/photos to their proper size media, then something it terribly wrong.

They are the best for graphic processing. They can print to the proper size media in every program I use except for LibreOffice and OOo which have broken printing functions. As i stated before, there have been various printing problems on Macs since the first Mac native version of OOo 3.0.

#16

Apple has long supported CUPS which allows you to define paper sizes for print.CUPS

CUPS is the standards-based, open source printing system developed by Apple Inc. <http://www.apple.com/> for Mac OS^® X and other UNIX^® -like operating systems.

http://www.cups.org/index.php

I am a Linux Ubuntu user, not Apple. You will have to pay particular attention to any Apple OS versions.

I have done it for HP PhotoSmart Pro B9100 printer. It is not painless.

If I recall, you will have to find your printers PostScript Printer Description ("PPD") file.

_Make backup files first of anything you might change._
In several locations, there will be definition areas. You will have to create those definitions and
then save the file.

I spent several hours getting comfortable with the material involved through Google.
Then copied and renamed and adjusted PPD file based on existing definitions.

Copying a definition closest to the size you want will definitely help, assuming it works the same.

Caveat: If the printer is not physically able, this will be of no use.

Good luck.

      /
      /** <https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/213984>

#17

In article <4F05ED69.1070008@krackedpress.com>,
webmaster for Kracked Press Productions <webmaster@krackedpress.com>
wrote:

Then how do Mac people print their own photos on the 4x6 photo paper?
We can do that with Windows and Linux.

Mac computers were advertised as the best for graphic processing, but if
they cannot print the graphic/photos to their proper size media, then
something it terribly wrong.

I have to problems with printing to the small photo paper media with my
Ubuntu and Windows versions for LO.

Most apps allow you to set the paper size in the print dialog. LO does
not.