Title transfer packet prints on Letter not Legal — force 8.5×14 size & tray

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Windows/macOS printing, PDF/Acrobat, tray mapping, PCL/PS drivers, kiosk & front counter setups

Title packet prints on Letter not Legal — force Legal tray, disable Fit/Scale, match paper size in PDF & driver, mixed Letter/Legal jobs

Technician

Hey! We’ll get your title transfer packet to print on Legal (8.5×14) every time. A few questions to pin it down:
• Printing from Acrobat/Edge/Chrome or a DMV web portal?
• Does the PDF say its page size is 8.5×14 or 8.5×11? (Look in Document Properties).
• Which tray actually has Legal — Tray 2/cassette/bypass? And is the driver set to “Auto” or a specific tray?
• Any scaling like Fit, Shrink oversized, or Choose paper source by PDF size turned on?

Customer

We download the packet from the state DMV site. The PDF shows “8.5×14 Legal,” but our HP laser keeps pulling Letter from Tray 1. If we use the bypass, it still shrinks to Letter.

Technician

Understood. There are two common causes of the Letter-not-Legal problem:
1) The driver reports Tray 1 as “Any size/Auto,” so jobs default to Letter even if the PDF is Legal.
2) The app applies scaling (Fit to printable area) or forces “Letter” in its print dialog, silently overriding the PDF’s size.
We’ll set a Legal-locked preset, map the tray, and enable “Choose paper source by PDF size” only when needed.

Customer

We have Legal in Tray 2. The driver is “Microsoft IPP Class Driver.” Could that be an issue? Also, some pages in the packet are Letter (instructions).

Technician

Yes — the IPP Class driver often hides per-tray size settings. Switch to the vendor’s PCL/PS driver so we can lock Tray 2 as Legal. For mixed packets (Letter instructions + Legal forms):
• In Acrobat, enable “Choose paper source by PDF page size” so Letter pages pull Tray 1 and Legal pages pull Tray 2 automatically.
• Keep Scale = Actual size (100%), Borderless = Off, and Duplex = Off (DMV counters usually want single-sided).

Customer

Where do I set the Legal tray? Windows shows “Auto.” When we choose Legal in the app, it still grabs Letter unless we feed manually.

Technician

In Windows:
1) Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Your printer → Printer properties → Device Settings: set Tray 2 = Legal 8.5×14; Tray 1 = Letter. Disable “Auto detect paper size.”
2) Printing Preferences: create a preset named DMV-Legal (Size = Legal, Source = Tray 2, Orientation = Auto, Scale = 100%). Save.
3) In Acrobat/Edge: pick the DMV-Legal preset, check “Choose paper source by PDF size” if the packet mixes sizes; otherwise leave it unchecked for all-Legal packets.

Customer

On macOS we print from Preview. It still shrinks to Letter. Any Mac-specific steps?

Technician

On macOS:
• System Settings → Printers → Options & Supplies: set Tray 2 media to Legal and turn off “Auto select.”
• In the print dialog, open the vendor driver panel (Layout/Finishing): choose Paper Size = Legal, Source = Tray 2, Scale = 100%. Uncheck “Scale to fit.”
• If Preview fights you, use Adobe Reader; it honors the PDF page size more reliably for government forms.

Customer

Some forms still crop a barcode when we print double-sided to save paper. Is duplex a problem?

Technician

DMV scanners often reject duplex packets. Use Simplex (one-sided), Actual size, and Print as image (Acrobat → Advanced) if barcodes render faint. Also turn off Borderless — it can change the printable area and clip the bottom of Legal pages.

Customer

We occasionally print from a browser. The site’s print preview defaults to Letter. Any quick browser tips?

Technician

• In Chrome/Edge: click More settings → Paper size Legal, Scale 100%, Margins Default, and select your DMV-Legal preset. Disable “Fit to page.”
• If the portal opens a PDF viewer, use the toolbar’s Print and confirm “Actual size.” When possible, download and open in Acrobat to keep tray control consistent.

Customer

After changing to the vendor PCL driver and locking Tray 2 as Legal, the preview finally shows 8.5×14. Anything else to keep it from reverting?

Technician

Final checks:
• Make the DMV-Legal preset Default for this printer.
• In the driver, set Tray 2 = Legal (locked); turn off “Substitute Letter for A4/Legal.”
• Update firmware/driver; some devices mis-detect Legal when “Auto tray” is enabled.
• Optional: create a second preset Mixed Letter/Legal with “Choose paper source by PDF page size” enabled.

Customer

Perfect — our title transfer forms now pull Legal from Tray 2 and barcodes aren’t cropped. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: If a title transfer packet prints on Letter not Legal, switch to the vendor PCL/PS driver, lock the Legal tray (Tray 2), use Actual size, and set a DMV-Legal preset. Enable “Choose paper source by PDF size” only for mixed packets. Need help mapping trays on your exact model? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when a DMV title transfer packet prints on Letter instead of Legal: use the vendor PCL/PS driver, fix Tray 2 = Legal 8.5×14, print at 100% Actual size, and save a DMV-Legal preset. For mixed Letter/Legal packets, enable Choose paper source by PDF page size; keep duplex and borderless off to avoid cropping.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows/macOS)

1. Install the manufacturer’s PCL/PS driver; avoid the generic IPP Class driver for tray mapping.
2. In Device/Printer properties, set Tray 2 = Legal 8.5×14, Tray 1 = Letter; disable “Auto.”
3. Create a DMV-Legal preset: Legal size, Tray 2, Simplex, Actual size (100%).
4. For mixed packets, enable Choose paper source by PDF page size in Acrobat; otherwise leave it off.

Note for mixed environments (macOS)

1. Set Legal in Options & Supplies for the device; pick the vendor panel in the print dialog.
2. Use Adobe Reader if Preview scales or selects Letter automatically.

Sources

• Adobe — Print PDFs at the right size
• Microsoft — Change default printer settings
• Apple — Print documents on Mac

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