Printing Problems

How to Fix a Word Footer That Is Cut Off When Printing

Steven Parker Oct 19, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where the footer of a Word document is cut off when printing directly, despite printing correctly when saved as a PDF.

How to Fix a Word Footer That Is Cut Off When Printing

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Printing a document with a bottom footer or a combined full-page header/footer graphic directly to a physical printer.
Observed behavior: The bottom part of the footer is cut off on the printed page. However, when the document is exported to PDF and printed, the entire footer appears correctly.

Before you start

Ensure your printer drivers are up to date and verify your printer's minimum hardware margin requirements before altering your document layout.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Footer Position and Document Margins

Increase the bottom margin and footer height to push the text above the printer's unprintable area.

Most physical printers have an unprintable zone near the edges of the paper because of how the rollers feed the sheet. If your footer is placed inside this zone, it will be physically cut off. Moving the footer higher on the page prevents this.

Open Print Preview

In Microsoft Word, go to File > Print to view how the document currently aligns with your printer's margins.

Edit the Footer Position

Return to the document and double-click the footer area to open the 'Header & Footer' tab.

Increase 'Footer from Bottom'

In the Position group, increase the 'Footer from Bottom' measurement (e.g., change it from 0.5 inches to 0.7 or 0.8 inches) to raise the text.

Test Print

Close the Header and Footer view, then print a single test page to confirm the footer is no longer cut off.

Adjust Footer Position and Document Margins

Printer Hardware Limits: Standard inkjet and laser printers usually require at least a 0.25 to 0.5-inch margin at the bottom of the page.

Solution 2

Separate Combined Header and Footer Graphics

Split a single large page graphic into distinct header and footer elements so they can be positioned independently.

Solution 3

Use PDF Auto-Scaling to Print

Export the document to PDF and use your PDF reader's automatic scaling feature to fit the content within the printable area.

Easy Document Printing with WPS Writer

Print Documents Perfectly with WPS Office

Avoid cut-off footers and formatting headaches by using WPS Office. Its intuitive print preview and visual page layout tools make it incredibly easy to adjust margins, headers, and footers, ensuring your document prints exactly as it appears on screen.

1. Open Your Document in WPS: Download and install WPS Office, then open your Word document (.docx) in WPS Writer.
2. Access Print Preview: Click on the 'Menu' button in the top left corner, hover over 'Print', and select 'Print Preview'.
3. Adjust the Margins Visually: Use the interactive ruler on the left side of the preview screen to drag the bottom margin upwards, instantly moving your footer into the safe printable area.
4. Print Your Document: Once the footer looks correct on the preview page, click the 'Print' icon to send the perfectly formatted document to your printer.

Visual margin adjustments directly in the print previewFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) files and layoutsBuilt-in Print to PDF functionality with smart scalingFree, lightweight, and user-friendly interface

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my document print fine as a PDF but not directly from Word?

PDF reading software usually has a default print setting called 'Fit to Printable Area' or 'Shrink to Fit'. This automatically reduces the size of your document so it fits entirely inside the physical margins of your printer. Word, by default, tries to print at 100% scale, which causes content in the unprintable margins to be cut off.

What is a printer's unprintable area?

Most standard printers cannot print all the way to the absolute edge of the paper due to the mechanical rollers that feed the page through the machine. This leaves a small unprintable border (typically 0.25 to 0.5 inches) where any text or images will simply not print.

How do I fix scaling issues in my printer properties?

You can sometimes force scaling via your printer driver. Go to File > Print, click 'Printer Properties', and look for an 'Effects', 'Layout', or 'Advanced' tab. Search for an option like 'Scale to Fit' or 'Fit to Page' and enable it before printing.

Document & File Issues