How to print 2 landscape pages landscape on banner, or: how to disable "[over]protection" of page rotation?

[gotfryd]

Have .odt, .odf or .pdf document with landscape pages, assume A4 (210x297mm).
Want to print them 2 per sheet (or brochure) on 2A4 banner (210x594mm).
For sure :), the supported paper size is up to 297x1200mm (1,20m), the feature is known as “banner printing”.
Unfortunately, no matter how I try to set the page, LibreOffice “knows better” and rotates the page crosswise to the source pages, leaving half of the place blank, of course.
The switch “automatic/vertitally/landscape” is (ostensibly) available, but… is not, as automatically rotates the physical page view.

Some software, b.ex. Foxit Reader (for PDF) allows any setting without problem, and yes, I chcecked it with my physical printer, PDFill printer and Microsoft PDF printer (requires some fiddling with internal config file to loose the page format restriction, but it also works).

How to switch off the irritating “improvement”? (OK, OK, my guess is that it’s supposed to serve clueless users, but what if now I am the clueless one!)

[edited, added]
If anyone is interested in forcing a Microsoft PDF printer to use a user-defined paper size, then the description have found from (link):

Custom Page Sizes for Microsoft Print to PDF

WARNING: the suggestion, that the config file name is the same regardless of installation is false, but the path to locate it through the registry works perfectly.
[\edited, added]

In advance (as someone asked my previously): for example, musical notes or landscape photos are typically formatted horizontally.
Forcing always export (or “print”) to .PDF and printing from Foxit may be sometimes a resolution, BUT because I want to specifically split pages on sub-brochures, forcing copy&paste page list for every part from b.ex. OO Basic macro is not a good resolution. Finally, why should the obvious thing not be done with LibreOffice?

[EarnestAl]

If your printer driver also has a Brochure option, disable either printer brochure or LO brochure setting. I would suggest to disable the printer driver one and set it to double-sided, short edge

[keme1]

So, to sum it up:

• You have a Writer document with pages set to A4 landscape.
• You want to print the document full size to 2 pages per sheet, side by side on physical media (paper).
• You have a printer which handles the “2A4” sheet size as specified (210mm x 594mm).
  …which is longer than the max sizes (A3/Ledger) handled by most “large format” printers.

Is that a correct assessment of the situation?

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Please note, this is not intended as a derogatory comment. To solve a problem without the entities at hand, we need to at least have the details right as much as we can. Guesswork is not our favorite effort.

[gotfryd]

Keme1, for sure - the feature is rather rare on low-budget A4 printers, but for “office” model, especially A3, occurs frequently, usually under the name “banner printing”. In fact, my printer is A3 and the paper size limit is 297x1200mm (1,20 meter long). The paper I want to print on is nearly 2xA4 (the differrence is not a problem at all). Of course, “banner printing” is limited regarding some printer features, b.ex. no automatic duplex (as it is longer than double length of the “turner” inside duplexer) or maximum resolution, as I have no extra (printer inside) memory etc. but generally works.
I want resolution not for .odt text format only, but while LO set, particularly images and PDF-exported doc (via LO draw). My question is part of wider problem - how sensibly position sub-brochures[1], even dedicated software line Fine Print is not satisfactory for me, bot with no control of the “rest of pages” AND has the same issue like LO (“autopositioning”). The same applies to automatic page folding or banner in the printer/printer driver, as the driver presents to system what is done, see my answer to EarnestAI.
The most common problem is that the program that is to be printed “banner”, is not adapted to such extreme proportions
The [1] problem can be resolved with a OO basic macro, I am asking about a minor problem with the preview in separate thread (“How to call from OO Basic the print menu, however with preloaded values?”)

[gotfryd]

It is no coincidence between setting brochure or “page folding” in two places, the problem exist regardless where want to set the “multipage”.
In sequence:

• in both drivers (the printer has a PostScript and PCL available), “multipage” (folding or brochure) is not enabled. Notice: I suggest the virtual PDF printers (both “corrected” MS one or the free PDFill one), both are by desing do not have build in multipage support and anything works from LO incorrectly as well as on a physical printer. Anyone can easily set a page size 210x594 and check.
  Programs that have manual page layout, like Fine Print, works in the environment CORRECTLY! (Even 4 pages one-by-one next to each other can be printed).
  Libre Office has somewhere “automatic resolution” where corrupt the setting, and my question is: WHERE to switch it off!!
  One time more: what you suggest, will not work PROPERLY. It WILL work, but gives half-filled pages with crosswide rotated content.
• as if we try, contrary to what you write, to set the multipage in the printer, it ALSO does improperly work, as the driver must present the paper size to LibreOffice, LO “thinks” about it and… rotates the page! Yes, LO will A4 page print on “virtual” A4 page, presented from driver as half of 2xA4 (210x297mm) CROSSWIDE! Anticipating the questions: no, there is no way to claim in the driver “rotated” pages, as the physical limit are checked by driver. Also, I suspect, LO will automatically detect hoax and “correct” it (incorrectly, of course).

[Grantler]

If your printer has got the adequate driver, it could be possible. Test: PDF “printer” - paper size A2, landscape. It worked, i.e. I got a A2 PDF document…
The paper size was adjusted before setting other print values.


See screenshot; check screenshot separately on new tab or window. (Click on it.)

[gotfryd]

Thanks for your effort, but we probably didn’t understand each other.
The paper size it NOT “2 time bigger” (A3 for A4), but “2 time LONGER”.
Please, set on the PDF printer page size of 210x594mm (yes, 2 pages A4 but a LONG band), get a A4 landscape document and print it “2 on pages” (or brochure) but… landscape. Check what happens!
A PDF doc, already formatted to landscape format (not my real need, but a example) - view from Fine Reader (proper) and (the same) from Libre Office (rotated on the page).
Polish “poziomo” means “landscape”, to be clear.
How to get the PROPER setting in LO?

[Grantler]

Hi @gotfryd,
on my upper image you may recognize that I had printed 2 pages A4 landscape as long as A2. The problem of my PDF printer is that I cannot alter or edit the paper sizes. But I could cut the PDFs if necessary (masterPDF).

The better solution could be - as @EarnestAl seems to suggest - that you find the right built-in paper size in your printer driver. In your lower screenshot we can see a print dialogue of Draw, doesn’t it fit your purposes? Can’t the paper size be prolonged?

[gotfryd]

Hi @Grantler,
Thanks for the example - and probably I missed one info.
My example was from the latest LO 7.3.1.3(x64)
As you can see in my example, the multipage selection is different: from LO the free selectable horizontal x vertical position are not available (only one position, “pages per sheet”). My screenshot where all is OK is from Fine Reader, not LO.
The printer setting for Fine Reader and Libre Office was (in my examples) exactly the same (only FR does not show the measure in mm, as LO does).

Then - what version of LO you use?

[EarnestAl]

Why have you set 2 to a page in your screenshot? You need to set brochure.

[gotfryd]

@EarnestAl - how do you know, what I need?
From original question: “Want to print them 2 per sheet (or brochure) on 2A4 banner (210x594mm)”
First of all: it makes no difference, regardles of “2 per sheet” or “brochure”, only different pages are shown, but the layout is the same.
By the way: Have you checked how it behaves on a (even virtual PDF) printer, with “banner” paper?
What @Grantler presents may suggest a bug in current version, then I am need info which version works properly.
What version you use, and what you get with the presented setup?
A link to description how to set MS PDF printer to accept user-defined size I added to the original query.

[gotfryd]

Many thanks for all.
It was my mistake, or better - an oversight.
I was not aware that the detailed settings are only available after first selecting “custom”!
This resolves the limitation.
I didn’t notice this detail right away in the screenshot given by @Grantler, noticed it only now.
Summarizing: the problem is resolvable, only the default layout is illogical for very disproportionate pages.
Thank you again.
If anyone knows how to use OO Basic, I invite you to the second topic mentioned

I can add, that the setting it is NOT a resolution for brochure printing, as “brochure” is unmodifable - the layout is terribly broken, but it is not a problem for me (will generate the list of pages by macro, acceptable).