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Format/Page/Layout Settings/Page Layout when set to "Right And Left", behaves as if set to "Mirrored"

OpenOffice 2.3.1 Writer

Win XP Pro SP2

ph@computer.org wrote:Format/Page/Layout Settings/Page Layout when set to "Right And Left", behaves as if set to "Mirrored"

OpenOffice 2.3.1 Writer

Win XP Pro SP2

What are you seeing and what are you expecting when setting to "Right and Left"?

There is no difference in what I see on the screen, but upon printing the left margins of the even numbered pages are significantly reduced.

ph@computer.org wrote:There is no difference in what I see on the screen, but upon printing the left margins of the even numbered pages are significantly reduced.

That's not mirroring, that's the page gutter. When you have a style that's set to "right and left", notice that you no longer have right and left page margins, but inside and outside. The gutter accommodates binding (such as comb, spiral, staple or hole punch) which is typically what you'll want if you have right and left pages in your document.

IF the shift is too large, you might want to check your printer settings.

That makes sense, but I can't find any reference or settings for "gutter" in the printer or Writer software. The page prints as I expected with MS Word 2000 (normally I avoid using that whenever possible), using the same printer driver and settings.

ph@computer.org wrote:That makes sense, but I can't find any reference or settings for "gutter" in the printer or Writer software.

I didn't say there was a word "gutter" in the Writer software. My apologies. That's just a known term that refers to the extra space as I described earlier. In Writer, you make your own gutter by specifying a wider margin in the "inner" setting than the "outer" setting of the Page tab in the page style you're using. By default the inner margin is wider in the Default page style when you have "right and left" selected. What do you have in the inner and outer margin specifications there?

ph@computer.org wrote:The page prints as I expected with MS Word 2000 (normally I avoid using that whenever possible), using the same printer driver and settings.

Okay, that's good, that pretty much rules out the printer... although some printer settings do travel inside the Writer document so it is possible for printed results to vary between Word and Writer. But let's look at the page style definition first.

Not sure what you mean... Does this screen shot (attached) help?

ph@computer.org wrote:Not sure what you mean... Does this screen shot (attached) help?

Sorry, no it doesn't; we need to be looking at the Page tab where the margin settings are (as I mentioned in my last post).

OK, here's that one.

Thanks! That helps.

Hmm... okay, so you have the same formatting for right and left pages, not inner and outer like I was thinking. I apologize! It's been so long since I've had to look at page styles that I misremembered how the "right and left" setting should work.

You also have a strange page size set up, I see... doesn't look like a standard paper size, or at least not one known to me. Is that setting correct?

Yes it is; this is a one-time document regarding invitations to my son's upcoming wedding. Social notes like this tend to be odd shapes and sizes.

ph@computer.org wrote:Yes it is; this is a one-time document regarding invitations to my son's upcoming wedding. Social notes like this tend to be odd shapes and sizes.

Many congratulations to you and your son!

When you print these out, are you printing on that paper size or on standard sheets?
In File> Print> Options (button at the bottom of the Print dialog), under the Pages group, is "Brochure" selected?
Does the margin shift when you print to (I mean, "export as") PDF?
How does it look in File> Page Preview?

Thanks! We are excited about the wedding.

* I am printing on 6-12" x 8-1/2" notepaper
* The "brochure" checkbox is not selected
* The margin does not shift when I export to a pdf
(but note that this is a 1 page document and the shift occurs only on even numbered copies when printing multiple copies of the 1 page)
* The page print preview looks the same as the pdf, no hint that the margins will change.

Thanks for your interest. You seem to be working hard on this.

I love solving puzzles, or at least the process of attempting to solve them, so I very much enjoy helping people use OOo as far as I can help... so yes, I'm still working on it and am not giving up until I have no other choice.

As an immediate workaround, try exporting the file as PDF and printing the PDF. If you print the PDF and you're still seeing that margin shift, there's something in the printer setup itself, or something in how the sheets are feeding... neither of which I might be able to help much with, but please post your printer model.

Because PDF is a printing process and the PDF is turning out the way it should, I'm afraid we're back to a possible problem with the printer or printer driver. You might want to try this: Go to Start> Printers and Faxes, right-click on your printer and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab, click the "New driver" button, which opens the Add Printer Driver wizard. Follow the instructions given there, and try printing the .odt file again.

Ah -- is it an .odt file or are you saving as .doc? I just recalled your mention of being able to print correctly from Word 2000. If you're saving as .doc, try working in the native OOo format and see if you get better results. No third-party software in the world is completely compatible with the closed (i.e., secret) workings of MS products, not even other versions of those self-same MS products!

Bingo! After saving in odt format and opening that, the printing goes as expected.

... now why didn't I think of that myself?

My Acrobat pdf viewer has a long list of named paper and envelope sizes from which to select. I don't recognize most of them and there is no facility to enter the dimensions directly, as there is in OO and that other word processor.

But who cares? Thanks for fixing my problem!

ph@computer.org wrote:Thanks for fixing my problem!

My pleasure!

I guess that means I have to give up now...