Printing: Paper Settings Changed Whenever I Print

Hello and thanks in advance for the help.

I am using Version: 2.2.0-rc3
Compiler: GNU GCC 7.3.0
Compiled on: Nov 29 2021
Qt Version: 5.12.4
Boost Version: 1.65.1
System: Windows 10 (10.0)

(actually Windows 11).

I have the drawing set to 11x8.5. Whenever I print I get a message paper size and/or margins have been changed Do you wish to apply changes to the current drawing. Details

Drawing settings:
        size: 11 x 8.5 (Letter / ANSI A)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

Printer settings:
        size: 10.9843 x 8.50394 (Letter)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

This error comes up regardless of what I answer.

If I set the drawing options to 11 x 8.5 and margins 0,0,0,0 it still says
Drawing settings:
        size: 11 x 8.5 (Letter / ANSI A)
        margins: 0, 0, 0, 0

Printer settings:
        size: 10.9843 x 8.50394 (Letter)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535


Moreover, if I don't manually force the scale to 1:120 (in my case) I lose the right hand side of the drawing.

I don't understand why it insists on changing things.


It seems weird to have such an issue with such a basic function.

What am I doing wrong?

I suspect it could be an issue with your Windows printer driver. What if you set the paper size there instead of "Letter" as a custom size of 8.5 x 11"? What happens when you print with a different printer, best other make? Or if you print to a virtual pdf printer like pdf-creator?
What do you mean with "manually force the scale to 1:120"? To have to set the scale and secure proper position on the sheet in Print Preview is standard procedure.  

Setting the page size to Custom 11 x 8.5 gives exactly the same result.

I have only one printer set up for 8.5x11. I use the same printer/driver for all sorts of applications including Kicad and other CAD programs and it works fine.

When I print to Microsoft Print to PDF (i.e. the Windows print to PDF driver) I get exactly the same results.

I find the new paper settings weird. Where does it get

        Printer settings:
        size: 10.9843 x 8.50394 (Letter)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

From?

That is not an option for any print driver I'm aware of. The printer properties show 8.5x11. Besides, if I ask Librecad to apply changes to the current drawing and immediately print again I get this message.

Drawing settings:
        size: 10.9843 x 8.50394 (Custom)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

Printer settings:
        size: 10.9843 x 8.50394 (Letter)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

Note that the Drawing Settings and the Printer Settings are identical. If so, what has changed?

With respect to scale, normally, I'd expect that if I define a certain page size and ask to print the drawing the scale would automatically adjust to place the drawing on the paper. In this case I have to fiddle with it or it runs off sheet.

You are right, it has nothing to do with a bad printer driver. I have this issue too, I was not aware of it as I hardly actually print to paper from LibreCAD. I mostly only export to pdf.
It probably has to do with the introduction of multi-page printing, coupled with margins.
"margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535" is probably taken from the printer's unprintable area, communicated from Windows and the printer driver. It seems it doesn't make any difference in the print out whether you accept the change or not. But the margins will be changed in Options - Current Drawing Preferences - Paper.
The slightly differing values for the paper size may come from internal recalculations (pixel-mm-inches).
 
There is another bug: the print out has an offset in the range of the upper left corner of the printable area. You can correct this by shifting the paper sheet accordingly in Print Preview. This way you can at least place the contents properly on the paper. I have tinkered a sample file for Letter format and a mark for your printer's margins (0.166535, -0.166535). For a different scale you have to adjust that, of course. You may test it and report if it helps. grid_inch_1_1_letter.dxf

Another bug is that if I export to pdf the print margins of the system's default printer are applied. So usually the outer frame lines get lost, which poses a problem when the pdf is printed on a plotter and has to be cut along these lines! I have a virtual pdf printer with print margins of 0,00 set as default printer, this eliminates the problem.

Just now after some more experiments I have understood the idea of the margins setting: it is for that you can see the printable, respectively the unprintable area in Print Preview. Hence the question if you want the margins (taken from the printer driver) to be added to the current drawing preferences. It is not an error message. And it has no effect on the actual print out. But it can be a nuisance.

As another negative fact the actual not printed area is larger than indicated by the margins, in V 2.2.0. Whereas in 2.1.3 it is correct.

I tried to print grid_inch_1_1_letter.dxf

and got the same error

Drawing settings:
        size: 11 x 8.5 (Letter / ANSI A)
        margins: 0, 0, 0, 0

Printer settings:
        size: 8.50394 x 10.9843 (Letter)
        margins: 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535, 0.166535

With respect to the error message (call it what you want but that's the way it looks) the thing is it never goes away: no matter what you answer it always gives the same message.

The idea with the sample I made is to serve as an aide to find out the real not printable area, to find out direction and amount of a possible offset, and to check if aligning the paper sheet to the correction mark in the upper left corner of the drawing in Print Preview will result in correct position of the drawing on the print.

If you answer yes and then save the drawing after the print, the change (margins) will be saved in the drawing and next time you print that drawing again you will not be asked, it prints straight away.

Still, it is not satisfying as it is now. A different solution might be better, maybe a button or checkbox in Drawing Preferences or Print Preview to indicate the printers margins if you want it only. Or drop the feature completely.

I'm stuck with this problem. I can't get any drawing to print.
Ver 2.2.0 RC-3  Windows 7  HP printer.
I upgraded to this version and started getting this problem. Printing used to work.
Now I can see it queued to the printer for printing looking good. But as each file gets to the top of the list it's status changes to an error - I guess back from the printer.  So right now I can't print.

A little further testing and a new observation.
I went back and opened some older files from older versions, for a Print Preview. They no longer print either - although they did originally.
But, the one thing I noticed is that EVERY drawing was maxed out to the paper size.  That is not how they all printed originally.  These are right up to the edge of the paper - except for a sliver of white.
If I try to actually Print, I get the size and adjustment message - but it never prints.

This looks like a problem enlarging the image to the full paper size. (I don't even want it that big).  That only makes sense if it is trying to fit a very large image on multiple pages.
Hope this helps.

I was able to get printing working in 2.2.0 with one general problem.
If I draw a rectangle 24 x 48 and print on 8.5 x 11 paper it just sizes the rectangle to fit except that it can not draw the top or bottom line.  (This was with margins left at 0).

Changing all 4 margins to 1 inch and printing put 2 inches at the top and 2 inches at the left side.  It still did not print the top OR bottom line.

Changing top and left margins to 0.5 and right and bottom margins to 0 printed the top line but not the bottom line.

I never got my 4-sided rectangle to print.  Previous drawings printed nicely with ver 2.1.3 on the same computer and printer.