How to Fix Legal-Size PDF Pages Printing Incorrectly on Brother Printers
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where legal-size pages in a mixed-size PDF print with shifted top margins.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader and Brother MFC-L5800DW
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document containing both letter and legal-size pages.
- Observed behavior
- Letter-size pages print correctly, but legal-size pages develop increasingly shifted top margins during the print job.
Ensure your Brother printer is loaded with both letter and legal-size paper in their respective trays, and that the physical paper guides are snugly adjusted to the paper edges.
Adjust Adobe Acrobat Print Settings
Configure Acrobat to handle mixed page sizes and prevent unwanted scaling that causes margin shifts.
When printing mixed-size documents, PDF readers sometimes attempt to scale all pages to a default paper size. Disabling this scaling and forcing the application to match the PDF page size to the printer tray usually resolves margin alignment issues.
Open your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Reader and go to File > Print from the top menu bar.
Under the 'Page Sizing & Handling' section, select 'Actual Size' to disable automatic scaling.
Check the box for 'Choose paper source by PDF page size' so the printer automatically pulls from the correct letter or legal tray.
Click the 'Page Setup' button in the bottom left, ensure your Brother printer is selected, and click Print to test the document.
Update or Reinstall Brother macOS Drivers
Outdated or corrupted printer drivers can misinterpret page size commands from macOS.
Test Printing via Apple Preview
Isolate the issue to determine if it is an Acrobat-specific bug or a system-wide driver issue.
Print Mixed-Size PDFs Flawlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a built-in PDF reader that handles mixed letter and legal-size documents effortlessly, ensuring accurate margins and automatic tray selection without complex configurations.
- 1. Open the PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your mixed-size PDF document.
- 2. Open Print Menu: Click the 'Print' icon on the toolbar or press Cmd+P (Mac) / Ctrl+P (Windows).
- 3. Configure Settings: In the print dialog, check 'Auto-center' and ensure page scaling is set to 'Actual Size'.
- 4. Print Document: Click 'Print' to send the document to your Brother printer with perfect margins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my printer cut off the bottom of legal-size PDF pages?
This usually happens when the printer assumes the paper is letter-size (11 inches long) instead of legal-size (14 inches long). Ensure you have selected 'Legal' in your printer's Page Setup and loaded the correct paper into the tray.
How do I force my Brother printer to use the legal paper tray?
In the macOS print dialog, expand the settings menu, navigate to 'Paper Feed' or 'Printer Features,' and manually change the paper source from 'Auto Select' to the specific tray containing your legal paper (e.g., Tray 2).
Can I print a legal-size PDF on letter-size paper?
Yes. In your PDF reader's print dialog, select 'Fit' or 'Shrink oversized pages' under the Page Sizing options. This will scale the 14-inch legal document down to fit onto standard 11-inch letter paper.
