Fix printing problems in Firefox
This article describes how to troubleshoot printing problems in Firefox.
- For general information on printing in Firefox, see How to print web pages in Firefox.
Table of Contents
Check Firefox page settings
If a web page prints incorrectly in Firefox:
- Click the menu button
and select .
- The print preview window will appear.
-
- In the print preview window, make sure Scale is set to Shrink To Fit.
- Make sure the Portrait orientation is set.
- Click . The Page Setup window will appear.
- In the Page Setup window, click the Margins & Header/Footer tab.
- In the Margins section, make sure the page margins are set correctly (the default setting is 12.7 mm, or 0.5 in).
- Click to close the Page Setup window and return to the Print Preview window.
- Back in the Print Preview window, click . The Print window will appear.
- Make sure the correct printer is shown in the Name field.
- Make sure the Print to file setting is not selected.
If you made changes, go ahead and attempt to print the page again. If not, follow the instructions below.
Check Firefox page settings
If a web page prints incorrectly in Firefox:
- Click the menu button
and select . The print preview window will appear.
- In the print preview window, make sure Scale is set to Shrink To Fit.
- Make sure the Portrait orientation is set.
- Click . The Print window will appear.
- Make sure the correct printer is shown in the Name field.
- Click the Page Setup tab. Ensure that the page margins are set correctly (the default setting is 12.7 mm, or 0.5 in).
If you made changes, go ahead and attempt to print the page again. If not, follow the instructions below.
Check other browsers and printers
You can see whether your problem is with Firefox, your printer, or the website you're visiting:
- Check to see whether the page prints correctly in another browser (such as Internet ExplorerSafariEpiphany).
If the page prints incorrectly in another browser also:
- There might be a problem with your printer: If you have another printer, try printing the page with that printer. If the second printer prints the page properly, update your printer driver from your printer manufacturer's website.
- There might be a problem with the page. Contact the website administrator.
If the page prints correctly in another browser, follow the instructions below in the following sections.
Reset Firefox printer setting
Several printer issues can be resolved by resetting Firefox's printer settings:
-
In the address bar, type about:config and press EnterReturn.
- The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click to continue to the about:config page.
- In the Search field, type print_printer.
- Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click on the print_printer setting and select .
-
Click the menu button
and then click ExitQuit
.
Click the Firefox menu
, then click . Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen, then click .Click the Firefox menu
, then click .
When you start Firefox again, try printing the page with which you had problems previously.
Reset all Firefox printer settings
If the above steps did not work, you may want to reset all of Firefox's printer settings:
-
Open your profile folder:
Click the menu button
, click help
Click the menu button
, click and select . The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
- Under the Application Basics section, click on A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open. .
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. -
Click the menu button
and then click ExitQuit
.
Click the Firefox menu
, then click . Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen, then click .Click the Firefox menu
, then click .
- In your profile folder, copy the prefs.js file to another folder to make a backup of it.
- Open the original prefs.js file in a text editor (such as WordPadTextEditEmacs).
- Remove all lines in prefs.js that start with print_ and save the file.
If something goes wrong when you open Firefox, close it again and overwrite prefs.js with the backup you made.
Change the default font
The Times New Roman font may not be recognized by your printer. Change the default font to a similar font, e.g. Trebuchet MS:
- Click the menu button
and choose . .
- Select the panel. panel and navigate to the Language & Appearance section.
- Under Fonts & Colors, select Trebuchet MS for the default font.
- Close the about:preferences page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.