Size of printed copy changing Why?

[orfajackson]

I have the most frustrating problem with my PC / Printer.
It makes me cry. Please help, guys.

I have made covers for our home DVD movies that I put into a standard CD case. I did all the art work for the front and back of the jewel case. Then I used calipers to measure the front and back covers to a .1mm accuracy and adjust Microsoft Office 2007 EXCEL and Microsoft Office 2007 PUBLISHER so they fit with precision into the jewel case.

All is happy. But - a week later I print out the covers and I am saddened to find that the dimensions have changed! The fronts and backs of the jewel cases no long fit! I - again - go thru the process of using the calipers to re-measure the fronts and backs for the jewel cases down to .1mm. It is a tedious process to change the size in Microsoft Office 2007 EXCEL and Microsoft Office 2007 PUBLISHER. OK. They fit great. Next week I print out the front and back covers. I am sad. Because the same happens - they no longer fit and I must re-measure them. This never stops.

Why? Is it my PC? Microsoft Office EXCEL and PUBLISHER? My printer?

Help!

little orfa

[fitch.j]

I'm not sure but the first thing i would check would be under your printer properties and ensure that the Scaling is set correctly and not to something like "Fit to 1x1 pages" or anything.

Did you make a note of these measurements? Noticed what they were / had changed to when you returned to them?

[hech54]

Just print with UnderCover XP and be done with it. As long as the aspect ratio of your creations is relatively close to a real CD cover...UnderCover XP will print them perfectly.
MultiCoverPrint is also a great choice.
Both are FREE.

[Nelson37]

OK, I get that you are measuring. But the printout is always one week later? Why the delay?

Have you ever printed one that fits?

Have you saved the document after printing one that fits?

Something very basic is going wrong here. Documents just do not resize on their own. Not at all sure where Excel fits into this process.

[orfajackson]

Thanks. but I cannot use these softwares - UnderCover XP and MultiCoverPrint because they are for predesigned covers. I design my own covers in EXCEL (back cover) and PUBLISHER (front cover)


I checked "PRINTER PROPERTIES" and I don't see any "SCALING". Under the EFFECTS tab there is " RESIZING OPTIONS" with a "SCALE TO FIT" checkbox ................but I do not check that box.


You say - OK, I get that you are measuring. But the printout is always one week later? NO, I PRINTOUT IMMEDIATELY AND IT FITS PERFECTLY

Have you ever printed one that fits? YES, MANY, IMMEDIATELY AFTER I GET THE MEASUREMENTS PERFECT.

Have you saved the document after printing one that fits? YES, ALWAYS.


What can be causing EXCEL to resize on its own? A few minutes ago I opened EXCEL to print out a rear cover and I recieved this error message "DO YOU WANT TO SAVE THE CHANGES YOU MADE TO COVERS CD.xis? This is strange since I made no changes to this file. I merely printed out the file. Why would EXCEL ask me that?

[Nelson37]

Is your default printer different than the one you print these covers with? Describe printer.

Are you using some kind of non-standard paper, anything other than 8.5x11? Are you changing paper and/or page size or type at any point in the operation?

When you save the correctly-sized document, is this before or immediately after the print occurs?

Save that Excel document with "changes" under a new name. Then compare with the original. Describe this along with more precise description of "it does not fit." Bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, etc. Is aspect ratio maintained?

Try this test, or describe if already done. Size one correctly. Print it. Save it. Print again without re-opening. Close program, re-open program, re-open document, then print. Any changes?

[orfajackson]

I am only using one printer - HP Business InkJet 1200................... There is no other printer.

Are you using some kind of non-standard paper, anything other than 8.5x11? NO, I AM USING 8.5 x 11, only. Are you changing paper and/or page size or type at any point in the operation? NO

When you save the correctly-sized document, is this before or immediately after the print occurs? I SAVE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE PRINT OCCURS.

THANK YOU. I WILL DO THE OTHER THINGS AS YOU SAY.



little orfa

[hech54]

Thanks. but I cannot use these softwares - UnderCover XP and MultiCoverPrint because they are for predesigned covers. I design my own covers in EXCEL (back cover) and PUBLISHER (front cover)

Then save your covers as a jpeg or bitmap...then print with the freebies I mentioned.
Stop banging your head against the wall.

[redwudz]

Excel will often ask me if I want to save a project when I reopen it, even if I made no changes to it. No idea why. But I don't recall it altering the files when it re-saves that way. Maybe it's just putting a new date into the file.

[Cornucopia]

Are you starting from a custom template or a normal/default document?

You want to create a custom template that is sized exactly/correctly but doesn't contain any non-boilerplate data. Then, always make new documents based off of that template.

Plus, what you could do is IMMEDIATELY after printing a successful copy, also print-to-file (a raw .PRN printspool data file).
Then, the next time you need to print, just send the PRN file to the printer (COPY to LPT, PrintFile, and other similar methods).
Nothing CAN be changed this way, because you're just "copying" a file to a device. (It's also quicker, because it's already been RENDERED in the printer's native internal language).

Scott

BTW, There are MUCH better layout apps than those 2, even for table-oriented stuff. Look around, I bet there are some freeware options.