Printing Problems

How to Print an A5 Document in Portrait Orientation in Word

Partner Editor Sep 25, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user needs to print an A5 document vertically but the printer is producing a horizontal layout.

How to Print an A5 Document in Portrait Orientation

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Printing an A5 sized document in a vertical, portrait layout.
Observed behavior: The printer produces a horizontal (landscape) layout instead of the intended portrait layout, likely due to mismatched document and printer settings.

Before you start

Ensure your printer is loaded with A5 paper in the correct orientation (usually short edge first) and that the physical paper guides are adjusted snugly against the edges.

Solution 1Recommended

Align Document and Printer Settings to A5 Portrait

Synchronize the page setup in your document with the physical printer settings to ensure the orientation and paper size match perfectly.

Often, a mismatch between the word processor's layout settings and the printer driver's hardware settings causes documents to print horizontally. Both must explicitly specify A5 and Portrait.

Set document layout

In your Word document, navigate to the Layout tab on the top ribbon. Click on 'Orientation' and select 'Portrait'.

Select paper size

Still in the Layout tab, click 'Size' and choose 'A5' from the dropdown menu to ensure your canvas matches the target paper.

Adjust printer properties

Go to File > Print. Click on 'Printer Properties' or 'Preferences' under your selected printer. Locate the Paper Size and Orientation settings within the printer dialog, and set them to A5 and Portrait.

Preview and print

Return to the print preview screen. Check the visual preview to ensure the document appears vertically, check that no unexpected scaling is applied, and then click 'Print'.

Align Document and Printer Settings to A5 Portrait

Settings Saved: If you print A5 frequently, you can save these printer preferences as a custom preset in your printer properties dialog to save time in the future.

Solution 2

Verify Custom Page Dimensions and Scaling

Manually check the exact dimensions of the page layout to ensure the width is smaller than the height, preventing automatic landscape rotation.

Print Settings Made Easy

Print A5 Documents Flawlessly with WPS Writer

WPS Office provides an intuitive and unified printing interface that automatically syncs your document's page layout with your printer settings, ensuring perfect portrait printing without the hassle.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open your target document.
2. Set page layout: Navigate to the Page Layout tab, click 'Orientation' to select 'Portrait', and click 'Size' to choose 'A5'.
3. Print: Press Ctrl+P, review the accurate print preview in the dialog box, and click 'Print' to get your vertical document.

Intuitive print preview with real-time layout adjustments.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats and page setups.Free, lightweight, and fast office suite for everyday tasks.Built-in smart formatting to prevent layout errors.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my printer ignoring the portrait setting in Word?

This usually happens when the printer driver's hardware settings override the software settings. You must click 'Printer Properties' in the print dialog and ensure the physical printer is also set to A5 and Portrait.

What are the exact dimensions for an A5 document in portrait?

An A5 document in portrait orientation measures 148 x 210 millimeters (or 5.83 x 8.27 inches). If your width is larger than your height, the document will print horizontally.

Can I print an A5 sized document on standard A4 paper?

Yes. In the Print dialog, look for 'Scale to Paper Size' or 'Pages per Sheet' settings. Select A4 as the target paper size, and the printer will center or scale your A5 document onto the A4 sheet.

Why is part of my A5 document cut off when printing?

This happens if the document margins exceed the printable area of your specific printer, or if the printer believes A4 paper is loaded. Verify the paper size in Printer Properties and ensure your margins are set within the standard printable limits (usually at least 0.5 cm or 0.2 inches).

Document & File Issues