Borderless Printing Tips for Teachers

A lot of teachers have been wondering how to print without a white edge around the materials they're preparing for the return of school.  I've discovered a way that will allow you to print without that pesky white border.  Borderless printing eliminates the time spent trimming off the unwanted white frame.  If you have been printing digital teaching resources and discovered a white edge around your printouts . . .  read this tutorial!  

This sheet was printed with a white border. 

This sheet was printed without a white border.

I can't promise you that this will work with your computer and printer but it's worth a try.  My computer is a Windows PC.  If you are using a MAC, I don't know that this will be helpful.  Additionally, I use a Hewlett Packard printer.  You may need to adjust these steps according to your equipment. 

The key is in your printer settings that are within your computer and the manner in which it interacts with your printer.  Apparently, there are many computers/printers with their default settings fixed to print with a border!

These simple steps may spare you the task of cutting away the unwanted white frame from the materials you are preparing for your classroom as you head back to school.

STEP ONE:  Open the file you are planning to print.  (It's probably a lovely PDF file from an online teachers shop!)

STEP TWO:  Select "File".

STEP THREE:  Select "Print"

STEP FOUR:  When you select "Print", a dialog box opens.  Look around at the various settings that you already have in place.  Make sure you are set to printing with "Actual size".  Avoid any settings that say something like "Fit" or "Shrink oversized pages".

STEP FIVE:  You should see the name of your printer highlighted at the top of the dialog box.  There is a tab to the right of the printer name which says "Properties".  To the right of the "Properties" tab there is another tab.  It says "Advanced".  Click on the tab that says "Properties".  See the photo below:
 

Click "Properties" in the first dialog box.

STEP SIX:  Once you've clicked on the "Properties" tab, another dialog box will open.  This one will have its own "Advanced" tab.  Click on the "Advanced" tab.  (Note:  It's not the same "Advanced" tab as the one you saw in the initial dialog box.)   See the photo below:

Click "Advanced" in the first dialog box.

STEP SEVEN:  You will see a list of options.  These will include "Document Options" and "Printer Features".  Look at the list of "Printer Features".  One item on the list will say, "Borderless Printing".  It is set to "Print with Border". Click on "Print with Border".  (The name is a little counter intuitive.)  See the photo below:

Click on "Print with Border".

There will be a drop down menu.  (Note:  It might not "drop down" until you click on the small arrow that drops down the options.)  See the photo below: 

Click on the drop down menu.

Once you click on the drop down arrow, you will see an option that says "Print Borderless".  Click on "Print Borderless".  See the photo below:  

Click on "Print Borderless".

Now you're cooking!  Print ONE of the pages and see if you did it!  Keep in mind that borderless printing can take twice as long as printing without this option.  At least that was my experience.

There you have it!  The "411" on borderless printing!  If your equipment doesn't match up with this tutorial, go ahead and explore the print settings on your computer.  ALWAYS write down your original settings for each of the options you adjust so that you can reset them if things begin to run amuck.

Let's take one more look.  Here's a printed page with a border:

Printed page with a border.

Here's a printed page without a border: 

Printed page without a border.

The page shown above is from my Alphabet Sounds Posters - All Things Animals.  

The mosaic background created by Bev's Learning Hut is very attractive . . . WITHOUT a white border!

That's all for now!

Copyright 2016, Lessons by Molly