Printing Outside the Boundaries All the Time

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 28, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

When Stephen chooses to print something, Word warns him that what he is trying to print is "outside the printing boundaries," but he can still print. Stephen wonders if there is any way to tell Word that he always prints outside the boundaries so that he doesn't always have to deal with this notification.

There is no way to turn this notification on or off—in other words, it is not a configuration setting you can make in the program. You can, however, turn off notifications while running a macro. This means that you can print via a macro, and simply turn notifications off just before printing and turn them back on right after printing. You do this using the DisplayAlerts property:

Application.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsNone
Application.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsAll

The first line turns off alerts and the second turns them on. It is important to remember that these lines are always used as a pair. If you turn off alerts and never turn them back on, you won't see any alerts even after the macro is ended.

A simple way to use them in a macro is shown here:

Sub PrintMyDocument()
    With Application
        .DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsNone
        .PrintOut Background:=False
        .DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsAll
    End With
End Sub

In order to use the macro, simply load the document you want to print and then run the macro. You won't see the notifications appear.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (7594) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Noting the Workbook Creation Date

You may want to add, to your worksheet, the date on which a particular workbook was created. Excel doesn't provide a way ...

Discover More

Aborting a Macro and Retaining Control

If you need to exit a macro before it is finished running, you can do it using a brute force method, or you can build in ...

Discover More

Finding a Device Driver's Version

Device drivers are used to allow a hardware device to communicate effectively with Windows. You might need to know a ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Defining Default Printers on a Document Level

If you use multiple printers, you may wonder how to set each document in Word to remember which printer to use for that ...

Discover More

Printing Show/Hide Characters

Non-printing characters are very handy to view when editing a document. But what if you want those characters to no ...

Discover More

Printing a Full Style Sheet

Word supports the use of styles (they are very powerful), but it doesn't provide a way to get a full-featured style sheet ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is two less than 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.