How to Get Bigger Prints From a Small Printer

By ARTHUR H. BLEICH

Your small desktop printer has a secret it wants to share with you– it can output larger prints than you may have thought it could. Which means you may not have to spend a lot of money for a wider-carriage printer and you can use the savings to buy more paper and ink.

Now most likely the largest-sized prints you've been making are 8.5 x 11 inches, which is US Letter size. And because it's the most popular size for small, desktop printers, millions of sheets of it are sold each year. But there are also a little-known alternatives – 8.5 x 14 inch Legal size photo inkjet paper and 8.5 x 25 inch panoramic paper.

Choosing Paper Size Options

Most small desktop printers let you choose paper size options in the drop-down menu that lists all the paper sizes you can set your printer to output. But many printers also allow you to set a custom size of your liking as long as the width of the image is 8.5 inches or smaller.

Does that mean you can print an image 8.5 inches by any length? Yes, pretty much so… until you run out of ink. However, most printers do have reasonable limitations on length and the way you find that out is to look at its specifications. Now, where's that manual? Can't find it? No problem. Just go to one of the manuals sites, type in your printer's name, and all the manuals pertaining to it will show up. (see Resources below.)

A print on 8.5 x 11 inch  Letter Size paper. © Andrew Slaton

For example, one of my many printers is an older Epson R280 and under the manual's Paper Handling section it says the printer will output lengths up to 44 inches long. Which means you can print an image 8.5 inches wide by up to 44 inches long.

While it's not likely you'll ever need to print an image that long, Red River Paper (see RESOURCES below) offers two paper options that you may want to try. One is Legal Size (8.5 x 14) and the other 8.5 by 25 inches long. Both come in a variety of surfaces. The longer 25-inch paper is perfect for printing panoramas in both portrait or landscape orientation.

Wider Images are More In Tune with How We See

The perceived improvement when viewing an image printed on Legal Size compared with Letter Size is tantamount to watching a show on a present day, wide aspect TV screen compared to seeing it on a chunkier 1980s display. That extra three inches in image width (or length) makes it look far more impressive.

Following is a quick guide to the basics. For more details that may apply to your printer and computer operating system check your manual and/or use the Google search words at the end of this post.

The same print as above on 8.5 x 14 inch Legal Size paper. © Andrew Slaton

Printing on Legal Size Paper

1. In the Paper Size drop-down menu, select Legal Size. Note: If that size is not listed there may be an option for Custom Size. Click on it and set the size to 8.5 x 14.

NOTE: If neither of these menu items are available your painter may not be able to print Legal Size. However, check its manual to confirm that, as there may be a work-around.

2. Crop your image so that it's in Legal Size proportion (8.5 x 14 inches). The actual print-out will have a thin white border around it.

3. If you want a borderless print and your printer has that feature, select that option.

4. Load a sheet of Legal Size paper into the paper feed.

5. Click PRINT on your computer.

Printing on Longer-Than-Legal Size Paper

If you want prints longer or wider than 14 inches, and provided your printer can output them, the set-up process will involve using the Custom Paper size setting.

Since you'll most likely be using 8.5 x 25 inch paper, here are a few things to consider. If your image does not require the full length of 25 inches, you can cut the paper to the length needed and use the remainder for another printing job.

You will have to support the paper as it goes through the printer. Since different brands of printers feed paper in different ways (from the front, top or back) make sure it won't twist or jam as it goes through the printer. If you only have a few prints to do, use your hands to support the paper it so that it feeds through smoothly. If you're doing many prints, you might want rig a simple support that saves you the effort.

Now that you know what your desktop printer is capable of, give it a try and see how you like the results. I'm betting that you'll really be impressed.

RESOURCES:

Red River Legal Size inkjet paper

Red River 8.5 x 25 inch paper

Inkjet printer manuals

More information about setting Custom Paper Sizes: Google “Setting custom paper sizes on inkjet printers.”

Original Publication Date: March 28, 2025

Article Last updated: April 01, 2025

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