PUB: How to Realign the Printed Page in Publisher (82897)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 1.0a
  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 2.0
  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 2.0a
  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 3.0

This article was previously published under Q82897
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

Publisher normally prints your page centered on the paper. However, there are times when you may not want the page printed in the center--for example, when printing business cards or nonstandard-sized envelopes.

In Microsoft Publisher versions 1.0a through 2.0a, a switch called PrintAlign in the Mspub.ini file aligns the pages of your publication relative to the sides of the sheet of paper it is being printed on.

The PRINTALIGN switch also applies to Publisher 3.0 for Windows 95 and Microsoft Publisher 97 However, because Publisher 3.0 does not use an Mspub.ini file, the switch is located in the Windows 95 Registry.

NOTE: This switch is effective ONLY when the page size of your publication is smaller than the paper size set for your printer with the Print Setup command. If page and paper size are the same, the page will be centered on the paper.

MORE INFORMATION

Publisher 3.0 and 97

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

To change the PRINTALIGN switch setting in the Registry, do the following:
  1. Click the Windows Start button and then click Run. Type the following in the Open box and click OK:

    Regedit

  2. Open the following key:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Publisher\Printing
    						
  3. Double-click PRINTALIGN on the right side of the screen.
  4. Change the "Value data" from 0 to Y X, where Y is the horizontal positioning and X is the vertical positioning. The following table describes the settings and where the Publisher page will be placed relative to the paper it's printed on:
    Y Alignment      X Alignment
    -----------      -----------
    
    0  Center        0  Center
    1  Top           1  Left
    2  Bottom        2  Right
    						
    For example, if you want your business card to print in the upper-left corner instead of the center of the paper, type 1 1 in the "Value data" box. Click OK.
  5. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
  6. Restart Windows.

Publisher 1.0a, 2.0, 2.0a

To add or change the PrintAlign switch in your Mspub.ini file, do the following:
  1. Save your publication and exit Publisher.
  2. From the Program Manager File menu, choose Run.
  3. In the Command Line box, type

    mspub.ini

    and choose the OK button.

    This opens Mspub.ini in Notepad.
  4. Search for the PrintAlign line in the [Printing] section. If there is no [Printing] section, add it to the end of the Mspub.ini file. If there is no PrintAlign line, add it to the [Printing] section. The PrintAlign line must have the following syntax

    PrintAlign=Y X

    where Y is the vertical positioning of the page and X is the horizontal positioning. The following table describes the settings and where the Publisher page will be placed relative to the paper it's printed on:
    Y Alignment      X Alignment
    -----------      -----------
    
    0  Center        0  Center
    1  Top           1  Left
    2  Bottom        2  Right
    						
    For example, if you want your business card to print in the upper-left corner instead of the center of the paper, you would set the PrintAlign command to the following:

    PrintAlign=1 1

    If the Mspub.ini file contains no PrintAlign setting, "0 0" (centered) is assumed.
  5. On the Notepad File menu, click Save, then click Exit.
  6. Restart Publisher.

REFERENCES

Publisher 1.0a customers should refer to the Readme.txt file for more information on this subject.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/16/2005
Keywords:kbhowto kbprint KB82897