5.21 FAQ-453 How to Troubleshoot printing problems?

Last Update: 1/3/2019

The Layer Dimensions in the printed page are incorrect

If you are printing a graph window and the layers in the printed page do not match the dimensions specified on the Size/Speed tab of the layer's Plot Details dialog box, then modify the X Scale Factor and the Y Scale Factor combination box values on the Miscellaneous tab of the Options dialog box (Preference: Options).

The graph labels are shifting location when printing

Origin's default viewing mode is Page View (View:Page View). Page View provides fast screen updating, but does not guarantee exact text placement on the screen unless you are using a typeface scaling software (such as Adobe Type Manager).

  • To make sure your labels are correctly positioned before printing:
  1. Switch to either Print Preview mode (File:Print Preview) or Print View mode (View:Print View).

Both view modes provide a true WYSIWYG display (Note that Print Preview mode is most reliable).

A graph label prints partly off the page

If a label in the printed graph is truncated, re-check the label position in the graph window. Labels (or sections of labels) that extend beyond the page are not displayed in the printout. The left and top borders of the page are determined by the left and top edge of the graph window. The right and bottom border of the page are determined by the gray region in the graph window.

Changing printers alters objects in the graph windows

When Origin draws a graph on your computer screen it queries your printer driver for object sizing and positioning information. If you create a graph using one printer driver, then change your default printer driver (or open the project on a second computer that has a different default printer driver), Origin may re-size and re-position objects in the graph window.

This is not a bug in Origin but rather a problem related to the fact that different printer drivers have different sizing and positioning characteristics. The only solution to this problem is to create and display/print graphs using the same printer driver, or to re-size and re-position the objects as desired after switching printer drivers.

Opening a project on a different computer changes the selected font

If you open an Origin project file that was created on a different computer and the project file uses a font that was on the original computer but is not installed on your computer, then Origin will choose a substitute font. If you do not like the substituted font, the only solution is to manually pick a new font from the list of fonts loaded on your computer. For example, to change the font of a text object in an Origin graph window, double-click on the text object and then select a new font from the Font drop-down list. Most application programs, including Origin, cannot display or print fonts that are not installed on your computer.

Origin doesn't update the graph page orientation when opening a project with a different printer as default

If you open an Origin project file that was created with a different printer driver, you may need to manually update the graph to reflect your current printer driver settings.

  • To update the project to a new printer:
  1. Select File:Page Setup.
  2. Select Portrait or Landscape orientation.
  3. Click OK. Origin updates your graph window based on your current printer driver settings.

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