9 Ways to Fix Microsoft Word Documents Not Printing Properly

Printing in Word can be seamless, but sometimes problems can arise. Missing text, misaligned margins, or entire pages not printing can disrupt your workflow. Luckily, most of these problems have easy solutions.

1. Make sure the printer is working

This may seem obvious, but it's always best to start with proper diagnostics. Before diving into any troubleshooting, it's best to rule out any issues with your printer first. To do this, you can print a test page on your PC using the following steps:

1. Press Win + I to .
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners .
3. Select the printer you are using and click the Print Test Page button .

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If your printer is having problems, refer to our guide on what to do when your printer is not working. However, if the test page prints correctly, continue with the troubleshooting steps below to resolve the problem.

2. Print other Microsoft Word documents

Sometimes, problems with your document can cause Word to not print properly. Luckily, Word has a handy feature that allows you to easily fix your document.

To use this feature, go to File > Open > Browse and select the Word file that isn't printing properly. Then, click the small arrow next to the Open button and select Open and Repair . Wait for Word to repair and open the file, then try printing again.

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Alternatively, you can create a new Word document and copy the entire contents of the original file into it. If this resolves the issue, it means the printing error has been isolated to the original document.

3. Print documents in other formats

This is a temporary solution, but it can be useful if you're in a hurry and don't have time to investigate the cause of the problem. Just save the Word document as a PDF and print it. PDFs preserve the formatting and layout of the document, ensuring it looks exactly as intended when viewed or printed.

To convert a Word file to PDF, press F12 to open the Save As dialog box . In the Save as type drop-down menu , select PDF and click Save. Your document will be saved as a PDF file and will open automatically after saving. Then try printing it again and see if it works.

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4. Check for problems with Windows

Both Windows 10 and 11 have a printer troubleshooter that can automatically find and fix common problems, so you should run it if you're still having trouble printing to Word. Here's what to do:

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
2. Go to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters .
3. Click the Run button next to Printer and follow the on-screen prompts.

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If the problem persists after running the printer troubleshooter, the problem may be related to the printer driver on your PC.

5. Print page ratio problem

A less common but annoying printing problem in Word is when pages print at a fraction of their actual size. This is often caused by improperly set scaling factors in the print settings. Here's what you can do to fix it.

1. In Word, press Ctrl + P to open the Print page .
2. Click the Printer Properties option below the printer.
3. In the Page Setup tab , check the Manual Scaling option and adjust Scaling to 100% .
4. Click OK to save the changes.

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This will cause the pages to print at full size, with text and any graphics filling the entire page.

6. Check for hidden text

Microsoft Word provides the option to hide text in your document. This hidden text works similarly to formatting marks such as spaces, line breaks, and tabs – it takes up space on the page but does not appear when printed or viewed on screen. Sometimes, hidden text can be the reason why certain parts of your document are missing when printed, even though they are visible in the softcopy.

If you suspect hidden text may be causing printing problems, here's how to check for and display any hidden content in a Microsoft Word document:

1. In Word, go to File > Options .
2. Select the Display tab and uncheck the Hidden text option .
3. Click OK and reprint the document.

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7. Check the form data printing option

Another common printing problem in Word occurs when table borders or other elements in your document don't appear in the printed version, even though they're visible on screen. Here's how to fix that problem.

1. In your Word document, go to File > Options .
2. Switch to the Advanced tab .
3. Scroll down and uncheck the Print only the data from a form option . Then click OK .

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8. Print directly to printer

When you print directly to a printer, Word bypasses the print spooler and sends the document straight to the printer. This can help resolve problems like printing delays, missing pages, or incorrect formatting that can occur when a document is processed by the spooler first.

To print directly to a printer in Word:

1. Open Control Panel using the search menu.
2. Click Devices and Printers .
3. Right click on the printer and select Printer properties .
4. Go to the Advanced tab and check the Print directly to the printer option .
5. Click OK .
6. Try printing the Word document again.

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9. Repair Microsoft Office Suite

If you've tried all of the fixes above and the problem persists, or if you're having similar problems with other Office apps, you can try using the Office repair tool. This tool scans all of your Office apps, including Word, for potential problems and automatically fixes them. Here's how to run it.

1. Press Win + R to .
2. Type appwiz.cpl into the text box and press Enter .
3. Find Microsoft Office suite, right click on it and select Change .
4. Select the Online Repair option and click Repair.

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Wait for the repair tool to run, then try printing from Word again.

After spending hours working on a document, it can be frustrating when Word doesn't print properly. Hopefully, that's no longer the case, and one of the tips above will help you fix your Word printing problems.

Lesley Montoya

Update 28 December 2024