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How to Print Long Bond Paper Without Scaling Errors
Set up an 8.5 x 13 inch Long Bond document, create a custom printer preset, and prevent Letter or Legal defaults from resizing the page.
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Long Bond commonly means 8.5 x 13 inches, 21.59 x 33.02 cm, or 215.9 x 330.2 mm. It is one inch shorter than US Legal (8.5 x 14 inches). Because the name is regional, use the Long Bond paper size reference when you need the dimensions, aliases, and comparison facts. This guide focuses on setting up and printing the page correctly.
The most common failure is simple: the document is 8.5 x 13, but the application or printer driver silently substitutes Letter or Legal. The print then shrinks, clips the bottom, or stops with a media mismatch warning.
Create the page at the correct size
Set the source document before placing tables, signature blocks, or page numbers.
- Width: 8.5 in or 215.9 mm
- Height: 13 in or 330.2 mm
- Orientation: Match the source form
If the application offers no Long Bond preset, create a custom size named
Long Bond 8.5x13. A descriptive preset is safer than choosing Legal and trying to compensate with margins.Match the printer tray and driver
The source file, print dialog, and printer tray must describe the same sheet. Check each layer:
- Confirm the PDF page box is 8.5 x 13 inches.
- Choose the custom Long Bond preset in the application.
- Choose the same preset in the printer driver.
- Load 8.5 x 13 paper in the selected tray.
- Use Actual size or 100% for forms and measured layouts.
Some drivers keep their own default even after the application changes. Open Printer Properties or System Print Dialog and verify the media size there as well.
Do not substitute Letter or Legal
Letter has the same width but is two inches shorter. Printing a Long Bond form on Letter either removes content near the bottom or scales the complete form down. Both can make signature lines, QR codes, or form fields harder to use.
Legal is one inch taller. It may look like a safe substitute, but a Legal preset changes the page box and can move footers, duplex alignment, or form boundaries. Use Legal only when the document was designed for 8.5 x 14 inches.
A4 is narrower and shorter than Long Bond. Converting an existing form to A4 is a layout task, not a printer setting. Build a separate A4 master when both versions are required.
Print a proof before a full batch
Use one page to catch silent driver changes.
- Measure the finished sheet.
- Check that the bottom line and footer are present.
- Confirm that signatures and form fields remain at their intended size.
- If the page includes a border or grid, measure a known distance.
- For duplex jobs, confirm that both sides use the same custom size.
If the proof is smaller than the original, find and disable Fit, Shrink, or Scale to printable area. If the page is clipped, check the physical tray size and hardware margins before reducing the whole document.
Set up common applications
Word for Windows: In the desktop app, open Layout, Size, then More Paper Sizes. Set the Paper tab to 8.5 inches wide and 13 inches high, and apply it to the whole document before adjusting tables or page breaks. Available formats can change with the selected printer, so recheck the page size when you switch printers. Word for Mac and Word on the web use different controls; do not assume this Windows menu path applies to them.
Google Docs: Open File, Page setup, then Pages to see the Paper size choices. If an exact 8.5 x 13 option is unavailable, do not select Legal and call it Long Bond. Use an application that can create the required custom document size, or use the Long Bond paper preset above for a blank ruled sheet. Exporting a Letter or Legal document to PDF and changing only the printer media size does not repair the document page box. See Google’s page-setup instructions.
PDF viewers: Inspect document properties first. A file name can say Long Bond while the embedded page box is Letter or Legal.
Printer drivers: Save a reusable custom preset if the driver supports one. On shared office printers, confirm that the preset also exists on the machine that actually sends the job.
Handle scanned and legacy forms
A scan can contain a Long Bond image inside a Letter or Legal PDF page box. Cropping the visible image does not automatically fix the PDF dimensions.
Before reusing a legacy form:
- Inspect the PDF page size.
- Compare it with a known physical original when possible.
- Rebuild the page on an 8.5 x 13 canvas if the scan is distorted.
- Test signatures, tables, and machine-readable marks at actual size.
For official forms, confirm the required sheet size with the issuing organization. Regional names such as Long Bond, Folio, and Oficio are not interchangeable without the dimensions.
Troubleshooting
The printer asks for Legal paper. The driver or application is still using an 8.5 x 14 preset. Select the custom 8.5 x 13 preset in both places.
The bottom is missing. The tray is probably Letter, or the printer cannot use the requested printable area. Confirm the sheet first, then review margins.
The form prints too small. Disable fitting and check whether the PDF itself was exported on a Letter page.
The custom size disappears. Some drivers store custom media per printer. Recreate the preset for the selected device or print from a PDF application with its own page setup.
FAQ
What values should I enter for Long Bond? Use 8.5 x 13 inches or 215.9 x 330.2 mm.
Can I choose Legal instead? No, not when the page must remain at its designed scale. Legal is one inch taller.
Should I use Fit to page? Only for a reading copy. Forms, ruled sheets, and measured templates should use Actual size or 100%.
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