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In all cases, you are subject to the page size limitations set by both Windows and the plotter/print driver combination. Windows has a page length/width limitation of 109 inches. Most Plotters have a page length/width limitation of that size or smaller. In addition, most plotters have a minimum margin for all sides of the paper. This varies with the plotter. If you are printing in landscape and have a printer with minimum margins of .67 for the left and right margins, your maximum page width is 109" - .67" - .67" = 107.66". If you have a printout that is wider or longer than this limit, you need to trim the printouts and then paste them together. Even though you may be printing on continuous rolls of paper, the plotter software (driver) does not have the ability to bypass the size limits established by Windows and/or printer manufacturers. If the plotter cannot print pages with zero-width margins, it will not be able to create continuous printouts greater in length than the printer's maximum page size minus the minimum margins. Even if the printer has a maximum page size greater than 109 inches, Windows will not allow it.

The first thing that you need to do is obtain and install the printer driver for the printer/plotter that you intend to use. (The printer driver is the piece of software that manages the communication between your operating system, such as Windows, and the printer itself.) In most cases, you need to change your printer settings in Windows as well as in Family Tree Detective.

To verify the printer settings and print the tree:

1. Click the Start button, select Settings, and then Printers.

2. Click once on your printer to select it, and then from the File menu, select Properties.

3. Change the following settings inside the Printer Properties dialog box.
   1. Change the setting for Paper Source, if necessary.

      Note: Sometimes there are special selections for 24-inch and 36-inch rolls under paper source.

   2. Check the Paper Size. It is necessary to choose a setting like Custom Size or More Sizes to specify the desired page size. Remember to pay attention to any maximum and minimum settings that are specified by your printer manufacturer or established by Windows.

   3. Explore all buttons and tabs. There may be more than one place to set the same or similar options.

4. Once everything appears to be set properly, click OK.

5. Run Family Tree Detective.

6. Create the tree that is being prepared for printing.

7. From Family Tree Detective's File menu, select Print and then click on Setup. Click Options, and then click Advanced (if necessary) to access the print driver settings from within Family Tree Detective. Verify the settings as described in Step 3 to make sure that all settings are correct.

8. Click OK to accept the changes and return to the Print Setup dialog box. Double-check the paper size, margins, and other settings in this dialog box and change them if they're not correct.

9. Click OK to close the Print Setup dialog box and return to the Print Family Tree window.

10. The document is now ready to output to a printer/plotter. If you own the printer you're using, click OK to print the document. If you are planning to take this tree to another computer to print it, you may need to print to file. To do this, select the Print to File option in the lower-right corner of the Print dialog box, and then click OK. Write down the name and directory location of the file you created. For more information, see our instructions for printing to file.