How to Fix Blank Extra Pages in an Access Legal-Size Report
Question details
The user needs to stop an Access report designed for legal-size paper from generating unwanted blank pages and displaying section width warnings.
- Product
- Microsoft Access
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing or previewing an Access report formatted for 8.5-by-14-inch legal paper.
- Observed behavior
- The report creates an extra blank page, triggers a section width warning, and repeatedly reverts its Page Setup from Legal to Letter size.
Ensure your selected printer physically supports legal-size (8.5 x 14 inches) paper and that the correct paper tray is loaded and configured in the printer's physical hardware settings.
Configure Specific Printer Settings and Update Drivers
Assigning a specific printer and updating its driver prevents Access from receiving inaccurate paper property information.
When Microsoft Access reverts paper size to Letter, it often means the default printer driver is passing incorrect paper property information to the software. Assigning a specific, updated printer profile resolves this.
In Access, open your report in Design View, navigate to the Page Setup tab, and click the Page Setup dialog box launcher.
Click the Page tab, select 'Use Specific Printer', and choose a printer that has a legal-size paper tray installed.
If the setting continues to revert, download and install the latest printer driver from your printer manufacturer's official website.
Verify Report Section Width and Margins
Ensure the report's design dimensions do not exceed the printable area of legal-size paper.
Recreate the Report Layout
If the report file is corrupted and ignores page settings, rebuilding it on a fresh canvas can clear the error.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Access report print a blank page after every page?
This occurs when the report's design width plus the left and right margins exceed the actual physical width of the paper. Access pushes the overflowing width to a new page, which appears blank because there are no text boxes or controls in that extra space.
How do I fix the 'section width is greater than page width' warning?
Open your report in Design View and check your page margins in Page Setup. Ensure the report canvas width is smaller than the paper width minus the margins. Click and drag the right boundary of the report canvas inward to reduce its total width.
Why does Access Page Setup keep reverting to Letter size instead of Legal?
Access relies on the default printer driver to determine available paper sizes and dimensions. If the driver is outdated, corrupted, or reports inaccurate hardware properties, Access will default back to standard Letter size. Updating your printer driver or manually choosing 'Use Specific Printer' usually resolves this.
