Margins on a page

[robie]

Hi

I have been asked to create a template with *full* page backdrop and some other stuff on. Now, I have managed to add a graphic as a background, which *fills the full width of the page* but when I print it - there is a margin of about 1/4" all sound the page. Can somebody please explain this? Is it possible to create a page that totally fills up the full width/height of the printed page?

The first picture is how it looks in normal print view and second is a print preview mode.

[attachment=84997:margins.png]
[attachment=84998:margins__preview_.png]

[HansV]

Most printers aren't able to print up to the edge of the page. There is a non-printable area; the exact dimensions depend on the printer.

(If you set the top, bottom, left and right margin to 0 in the Page Setup dialog and click OK, Word will probably complain and offer to correct the margins. If you click OK, you'll see the margins of the printable area.)

[HansV]

Slightly later: some printers have an option to print borderless - you have to click Properties in the Print dialog to set it (or go the the Printers and Fax Devices control panel)

[Andrew Lockton]

Getting full bleed of colour off the edge of the page is always problematic since if a printer did do it then the ink/toner that misses the edge would stick on the rollers of the printer and rapidly jam it up. Also with inkjet printers they need to hold the paper that hasn't been printed on yet so their bottom margin is bigger than other types of printers.

Your options are:
1. Cut the edges off the paper after printing. This is how commercial printers do it - they do start with paper larger than the required size and then trim the edges back to the required size. If you don't use oversize paper then you will end up with an undersize result.
2. Have the letterhead pre-printed commercially with all the static content and full bleed and load this into your printers for all the document content. The contents of the Word document should be positioned entirely inside the printable area. This gives you the best results in terms of print quality but is inflexible. You can't do things like print white text in the areas where pre-printed colour is already on the page but within the limitations of your design it can still look pretty good.
3. Design without a full bleed

Obviously, option 3 is the simplest, fastest, most flexible and cheapest to do.

[robie]

Hans/Andrew

Thanks for your input.

Andrew: Your provide a good alternative solutions. Personally, I prefer the 3rd option - simplest and cheapest. Now, to convince the marketing department :-(.