Printing Problems

How to Print an A4 Word Document on A3 Paper on Mac

Nimra Malik Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user is unable to scale an A4 document to print on A3 paper using Microsoft Word on a Mac, and notices some print settings are missing.

How to Print an A4 Word Document on A3 Paper on Mac

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Attempting to print an A4-sized text document onto A3 paper using the print dialog.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Word does not scale the document to A3, and necessary scaling options in the print dialog appear to be missing, despite the scaling working successfully in Preview for photos and PDFs.

Before you start

Ensure your Mac is connected to a printer that physically supports A3 paper sizes and that the correct printer is selected in your system settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Update macOS, Printer Drivers, and Firmware

Print scaling options are primarily provided by the printer driver rather than the Word application itself. Updating the driver software often restores missing print settings.

Since macOS Preview uses native system rendering, it might scale PDFs easily while third-party apps like Word rely more heavily on the manufacturer's printer driver capabilities for page setup.

Check for macOS updates

Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install any available system updates for your MacBook.

Update Microsoft Office

Open Microsoft Word, click on Help in the top menu bar, and select Check for Updates to ensure you have the latest software version.

Reinstall Printer Drivers

Navigate to System Settings > Printers & Scanners. Select your A3 printer and remove it. Then, visit the printer manufacturer's official website to download and install the latest macOS driver for your specific model.

Update Printer Firmware

Follow the manufacturer's instructions in your printer manual to check and apply any firmware updates via the printer's physical control panel or utility app.

Update macOS, Printer Drivers, and Firmware

Contact Manufacturer Support: If the scaling settings are still missing after updating, contact your printer manufacturer's support team with your exact printer model and macOS version.

Solution 2

Export Document as PDF and Print via Preview

If Word's print dialog still lacks scaling options, exporting the document to PDF allows you to use the Mac's native Preview app, which natively supports scaling.

Effortless Printing Solutions

Print and Scale Documents Easily with WPS Office

WPS Office provides an intuitive printing interface that makes scaling documents from A4 to A3 seamless on your Mac. Avoid driver conflicts while enjoying full formatting control.

1. Open your document in WPS Office: Launch WPS Writer on your Mac and open the A4 document you wish to print.
2. Access the Print Menu: Click on the 'File' menu at the top left and select 'Print', or simply press Cmd+P.
3. Select Target Paper Size: In the Print dialog box, locate the Paper Size dropdown menu and select 'A3'.
4. Adjust Scaling Options: Check the scaling settings in the print dialog to ensure the document is set to 'Fit to Paper Size' or equivalent, so the A4 text scales up.
5. Print the Document: Verify the preview looks correct and click the 'Print' button to send the job to your printer.

Directly scale page sizes during printing with a built-in, user-friendly print dialog.Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats, ensuring your .docx files open without losing formatting.Lightweight, fast, and completely free to use on macOS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are print scaling settings missing in Microsoft Word on my Mac?

Print dialog options, including paper scaling and specific tray selections, are largely controlled by the printer's driver. If the driver is outdated, generic, or incompatible with your current macOS version, advanced settings like A4 to A3 scaling might not appear in third-party apps like Word.

Can I change the document size directly to A3 in Word instead of scaling?

Yes. You can change the actual page setup by going to Layout > Size and selecting A3. However, this will alter your document's text wrapping and formatting. Scaling during the print process is better if you want to perfectly preserve the original A4 layout.

Why does scaling work in Preview but not in Word?

macOS Preview is a native Apple application that uses system-level PDF rendering, which includes built-in scaling features independent of specific printer drivers. Word, on the other hand, communicates with the printer driver to fetch available print features, which can cause discrepancies if the driver is lacking.

Document & File Issues