Printer is Printing Landscape Instead of Portrait [All Printers]

It can be frustrating when your printer keeps printing documents in landscape mode even though you selected portrait orientation. Whether you’re printing a school assignment, business report, invoice, or personal document, incorrect page orientation can waste paper, affect formatting, and make documents difficult to read.

The good news is that this issue is usually caused by incorrect printer settings, application preferences, printer driver configurations, or a mismatch between software and printer settings. Fortunately, you can fix the problem without advanced technical knowledge.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to troubleshoot and fix a printer, including HP, Canon, Brother, Epson, Ricoh, Lexmark, Xerox, and many others that are printing landscape instead of portrait.

Why Is My Printer Printing Landscape Instead of Portrait?

Before jumping into the fixes, it helps to understand what causes this problem.

Most printers do not decide page orientation on their own. Instead, they follow instructions sent by your computer, mobile device, or software application. If any of those settings are configured incorrectly, the printer may interpret the document as landscape.

Common causes include incorrect print orientation settings, outdated printer drivers, software-specific print preferences, custom paper settings, or corrupted printer configurations.

Printer is Printing Landscape Instead of Portrait [For All Printers]

To fix a printer that is printing in landscape instead of portrait:

• Open your document and verify that Portrait Orientation is selected.
• Check the printer preferences in Windows and confirm Portrait is set as the default orientation.
• Disable application-specific print overrides.
• Verify paper size and page setup settings.
• Update or reinstall the printer driver.
• Reset the printer preferences to default settings.
• Print a test page to confirm the issue is resolved.

If the printer continues printing in landscape mode, the problem is typically caused by driver settings or a conflict between the application and printer preferences.

The fixes below address all of these possibilities and work across nearly every printer model.

Step 1: Check the Document Orientation Before Printing

Open the document you want to print and carefully review its orientation settings.

The first thing to verify is whether the document itself is configured for portrait mode. Many users immediately assume the printer is at fault when the issue is actually within the document.

If you’re using Microsoft Word, select the Layout tab and look for the Orientation option. Make sure Portrait is selected.

If you’re printing from Google Docs, click File, select Page Setup, and confirm that Portrait is chosen.

For PDFs, open the file in your PDF viewer and review the page layout before printing.

Sometimes documents created by another person are already formatted in landscape mode. In that case, the printer is simply following the instructions embedded in the document.

After confirming the document is set to portrait orientation, try printing again.

Step 2: Verify Orientation Settings in the Print Window

Open the print dialog box and check the orientation setting before sending the job to the printer.

Every application has its own print menu. Even if the document is set correctly, the print window can override those settings.

Press Ctrl + P to open the print dialog.

Look for an option labeled Orientation, Page Layout, or Page Setup.

Make sure Portrait is selected.

Many users accidentally select landscape mode while experimenting with print settings and forget to change it back later.

Also, review any preview pane displayed in the print window. If the preview shows the page sideways, the orientation setting is likely incorrect.

Step 3: Change Default Printer Preferences in Windows

Access the printer’s default settings and make portrait mode the permanent orientation.

Windows stores printer preferences separately from individual applications. If the default printer profile is set to landscape, every print job may inherit that setting.

• Open Settings and navigate to Bluetooth & devices, followed by Printers & scanners.
• Select your printer.
• Click Printing Preferences.
• Locate the Orientation section.
• Choose Portrait and save the changes.

These settings become the printer’s default behavior for future print jobs.

After saving the configuration, close the window and restart the application you’re printing from.

Step 4: Check Application-Specific Print Settings

Review the settings inside the software you’re printing from.

Many modern applications save their own printing preferences independently of Windows.

For example, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Excel, Photoshop, and various accounting software programs may store separate orientation settings.

If your printer only prints landscape when using a specific application, that’s a strong indication that the software itself is causing the issue.

Open the application’s print settings and look for options related to page orientation.

Change the setting to Portrait and save the configuration if possible.

Close and reopen the application before testing again.

Step 5: Verify Paper Size and Page Setup Configuration

Confirm that paper size settings match the paper loaded in the printer.

Incorrect paper settings can sometimes trigger unexpected page orientation behavior.

For example, if your document is configured for Legal Size paper while the printer contains Letter Size paper, the printer driver may automatically rotate the page.

Open the print settings and verify the selected paper size.

Ensure it matches the paper currently loaded into the printer tray.

Also, review any scaling options such as Fit to Page, Shrink Oversized Pages, or Auto Rotate.

Matching the document size and paper size helps eliminate orientation conflicts.

Step 6: Disable Auto Rotate and Auto Orientation Features

Turn off automatic page rotation features within the print settings.

Many printer drivers include intelligent layout features designed to optimize page placement.

While these features are useful, they sometimes create orientation problems.

Open the printer properties window.

Look for settings such as:

• Auto Rotate
• Rotate to Fit
• Automatic Orientation
• Smart Page Layout

Disable these features temporarily.

Save the settings and print another document.

If the page now prints correctly in portrait mode, you’ve identified the source of the problem.

Step 7: Reset Printer Preferences to Default

Restore the printer’s settings to their factory defaults.

Over time, customized print settings can create unexpected behavior.

Resetting the printer preferences removes any incorrect configurations that may be forcing landscape mode.

Open Printing Preferences.

Locate the Restore Defaults, Default Settings, or Reset option.

Apply the reset and save the changes.

After resetting, Windows reloads the standard printer profile.

Print a simple one-page document and verify that portrait orientation is working properly.

Step 8: Update or Reinstall the Printer Driver

Install the latest printer driver available for your device.

Printer drivers act as translators between your computer and printer.

If the driver becomes outdated or corrupted, orientation commands may not be processed correctly.

• Open Device Manager.
• Expand the Printers section.
• Right-click your printer and choose Update Driver.
• Allow Windows to search for updates.
• If the issue continues, remove the printer completely and reinstall it.

A fresh driver installation often resolves persistent orientation problems that standard troubleshooting cannot fix.

Once the driver is reinstalled, restart your computer and perform another test print.

Step 9: Remove and Add the Printer Again

Recreate the printer connection in Windows.

Sometimes the printer profile stored by Windows becomes corrupted.

• Removing and re-adding the printer creates a fresh configuration.
• Open Settings.
• Navigate to Bluetooth & devices and then Printers & scanners.
• Select your printer.
• Choose Remove Device.
• Restart the computer.
• Add the printer again using the Add Device option.

After Windows detects and installs the printer, open the printing preferences and confirm that portrait orientation is selected.

Print a test page to verify the fix.

Step 10: Test Printing from Another Application

Compare printing behavior across multiple programs.

If portrait printing works correctly in one application but not another, the printer is functioning normally.

Create a simple document in Notepad or Microsoft Word.

Print the document using portrait orientation.

If the page prints correctly, the issue is likely isolated to the original software application.

You can then focus on resetting or adjusting the print settings within that program instead of troubleshooting the printer itself.

Additional Troubleshooting Tips

If the problem still persists, restart both the printer and computer. Temporary software glitches can occasionally interfere with print settings.

Make sure your printer firmware is up to date. Modern printers often receive firmware updates that improve compatibility and fix printing issues.

If you’re printing from a mobile device, verify the orientation settings within the mobile printing app. Some apps automatically switch between portrait and landscape based on content layout.

Also test with a different document. A corrupted file may contain formatting instructions that force landscape printing regardless of your selected settings.

FAQs

Why does my printer keep changing from portrait to landscape?

This usually happens because an application, printer driver, or default printer preference is overriding the selected orientation. Checking both document and printer settings typically resolves the issue.

Can a printer itself force landscape printing?

In most cases, no. Printers generally follow instructions provided by the computer or application. Incorrect software settings are usually responsible.

Why does only one document print in landscape mode?

The document likely contains its own page orientation settings. Review the document layout and page setup options before printing.

Will reinstalling the printer fix orientation issues?

Yes. Reinstalling the printer can remove corrupted settings and restore proper communication between Windows and the printer.

Why does portrait mode look correct in print preview but print in landscape?

This often indicates a printer driver problem or a conflict between application settings and printer preferences.

Does updating the printer driver help?

Absolutely. An updated driver can fix orientation issues, improve compatibility, and resolve printing errors caused by outdated software.