BUG!! Word 2016 fails to print margins correctly / messes up layout (Possible OpenType .otf Font bug)

Anonymous
2015-11-26T19:37:16+00:00

Hallo everyone,

I am having severe problems with Word 2016, as it does not print the document layout correctly as it somehow messes up the margin when printing.

NOTE: This happens when printing to Adobe Acrobat DC and my physical printer!

My document layout:

• no markup,

• custom margins (set to 1,27cm top / bottom and left / right - my printer can easily handle these...)

• no header or footer

• paper size set to A4 in all settings

IMAGE 1

The following is picture shows page 1 of my document in "Print Layout"-view. This is how I want the document to look when printed.

IMAGE 2

Here is a picture of the Print-preview menu. You can see that the Print preview still shows the document exactly as I want it. No problems. No funny settings selected. No "Print Markup" selected.

IMAGE 3

Now this is what happens when I print the actual document:

The bottom margin changes and suddenly the whole layout is messed up!

Please advise whether this a bug, or some setting I seem to wrongfully configure.

This is really annoying as I sometimes spend hours to get the layout and spacing in a document right, but then when it comes to printing the document, everything is messed up.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-01-01T17:33:47+00:00

    Thank you for your help, Suzanne. While this seems to work, I'm not going to accept it as a solution (I know, you're only trying to help, so this comment is not personal).

    I've never had this problem with any previous version of Word, and nowhere has Microsoft indicated that there were going to be changes in the way third party-fonts would be dealt with. I find it a basic functionality of Word that the printout is the same as the print preview.

    I know that complaining here doesn't help, but I frankly find Microsoft's attitude in this very disappointing.

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  2. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-01-01T16:28:02+00:00

    The option to "Use printer metrics to lay out document" is a Layout Option (Compatibility Option) that is available in Word 2013 and 2016 only if you set the document compatibility to Word 2010, which you can do with this simple procedure:

    1. Press Alt+F11 to open the VBA Editor.
    2. Press Ctrl+G to get to the Immediate window.
    3. In that window, type

              ActiveDocument.SetCompatibilityMode 14

    and press Enter. 4. Close the VBA Editor to return to the document. 5. Go to File | Options | Advanced: Compatibility options and set "Lay out this document as if created in" to "Microsoft Word 2010." 6. You will now see additional layout options that include "Use printer metrics..." Check that box. 7. Click OK to exit.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-01-01T15:38:21+00:00

    wow this thread has been busy...

    I also do not see any menu option in a standard .docx document relating to "Printer Metrics".

    So the only current solution is to save as a .doc and use the "printer metrics" setting/solution?

    What are the limitation if we are stuck in the .doc format?

    COME ON Microsoft, you know this problem. FIX IT.

    Few comments:

    1. Word 2016 x64 Dekstop v16.0.6326.1013

    • PROBLEM STILL EXISTS

    2. Saving as .doc

    I opened the original file I used in the opening post.

    a) I used "save as" to save the file as a .doc on the desktop:

    = The layout in Word remained as per my initial design.

    b) I then printed the .doc (no settings adjusted):

    = Same messed up layout (output .pdf)

    c) I then adjusted the advanced setting relating to the printer margin (note: not yet printed to pdf..):

    = The layout displayed in Word changed and looked similar to the messed up layout.

    d) Printed the file with the new setting:

    = Printed PDF-layout looks similar to the layout in Word.

    3. Support for OTF

    I read this link (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/908475) but there is no reference / relation to Office 2016.

    Furthermore, OTF is according to my knowledge more advanced and a newer format than TTF.

    Microsoft and Adobe actively co-develop OTF (Latest release 17 March 2015) - why on earth would the creators of Word and PDF drop support for their own font format?

    What on earth is the point of a Word-processor if you are only allowed system fonts?

    Heck watch your heads we are heading for the stone age again... #Word2016BC

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-12-31T06:47:43+00:00

    It's terrible, indeed :(

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-12-30T15:55:52+00:00

    Ah I didn't notice that, I save as .doc not .docx due to compatibility issues with ancient templates and also Word acts too sluggish on old hardware if saving as .docx with large documents.

    When editing a .dot / .dotm template, Word doesn't show any compatibility options for me either - neither does working with a saved .docx file... the compatibility section only appears in the options if saved as .doc.   Definitely is an issue if you have to save as .docx, and it looks like I have to set this option in every single file but at least for now for me as a band-aid solution, saving as .doc and checking this compatibility option (2010 compatibility or earlier) allows for consistent display and print rendering.

    What a nuisance!!

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