Setting the correct page size (US Letter) in OmniGraffle 5
 

Hello - I'm a noob when it comes to OmniGraffle and have just started using OmniGraffle 5 for some diagramming projects. I ran into a problem this evening that I'm having some trouble understanding.

What I want to do is to create a simple blank portrait-sized US Letter-sized page at 8-1/2" by 11".

I went to File - New, clicked the New Diagram button, and then went to File - Page Setup to change the paper size to US Letter. The paper size in that dialog reads in centimeters (21.59 cm x 27.94 cm), probably because of my OS X International preference settings, but that equals 8.5" by 11". Clicked OK.

However, when I look at the ruler and compare it to the size of the new diagram, the diagram page size (white part) looks considerably smaller than it should. It looks 8" by just over 10" in size. When I try and draw a new shape and set that shape at 8.5" by 11", overlaying it over the white canvas, I can visibly see the difference.

I noticed in the Canvas: Size panel (floating menu?) that the canvas size is indeed at 8 inches by 10-13/72 inches. I also see that the "Auto-adjust the canvas size" box is checked.

I'm a little confused at what's really going on here. Is my canvas going to print at 8 inches by 10-13/72 inches, or what?

Would appreciate any advice or assistance!

Jeff Chapman

Your document is probably set up to respect the printer margin settings (Document inspector):

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/jtyzack/.Pictures/screenshots/OGprintermargin.jpg[/img]

JKT - Thanks, you were right. When I put a check in "Use printer margins", the margins are "reset" to zero, and the entire 8-1/2" by 11" page displays as a full canvas.

The information in the OmniGraffle help content on this feature is pretty scarce, but I take it to mean that when you enable printer margins, you automatically give the printer free rein over the margins, even though the canvas shows the entire sheet of paper and lets you draw on the whole thing.

On the other hand, when you disable printer margins, you are telling OmniGraffle that you want to set the margins yourself, which may or may not coincide with what the printer's printable area is.

Would that be a fair assessment? (I guess I could test this out with a PDF to see...)

Jeff

How do I set the page setup options to continuously recognise my printer and ultimately printer margins for when a document is created or an existing one is opened?

Your help is appreciated - thanks!

OmniGraffle will use whatever settings the document template you choose specifies. You can check the "Creating and Managing Templates" topic in the help menu material to get started.

If you have other questions, feel free to send an email to our [EMAIL="omnigraffle@omnigroup.com"]support ninjas[/EMAIL], as well.