How to print edge to edge on your printer

Most printers are not set by default to provide edge-to-edge printing. Instead, they leave thin white borders around the images, often because of built-in hardware limitations or default driver settings. To achieve a full-bleed, borderless print, you need to adjust your printer settings and ensure your printer actually supports true borderless printing.

Before setting up printing, make sure:

• Your images match the paper size you’re printing on, or include a bleed area (extra design extending beyond the trim edge) to avoid faint white borders.
• Your printer supports borderless printing on the selected media size. Not all printers do, especially laser printers.
• You review your printer’s supported paper sizes for borderless mode, since many models support it only for specific formats (e.g., 4×6, 5×7, A4).
• Your printer’s drivers and firmware are up to date; outdated drivers often cause the borderless option to disappear.

Table of Contents

Important distinctions: Inkjet vs Laser printer

Most inkjet printers, especially photo printers, can print true borderless pages because they spray ink all the way to the paper’s edge.
However, laser printers rarely support full-bleed printing due to fusing and roller mechanics—they often require a built-in margin to prevent toner overflow. Users with laser printers may still see a small border even with “borderless” selected.

If perfect edge-to-edge results are essential, use an inkjet printer or be prepared to trim the final print.

Prepare your images with bleed for a professional result

For a cleaner, more polished print, extend backgrounds and images slightly beyond the canvas edge—this is known as adding bleed. Even when borderless mode is available, tiny mechanical shifts can create hairline white edges.
Adding ? inch (3 mm) bleed around your images ensures no white lines appear and gives you more trimming flexibility.

Paper sizes commonly supported for borderless printing

While borderless availability depends on your printer model, the following sizes are widely supported by photo and home inkjet printers:

• 4 × 6
• 5 × 7
• 8 × 10
• 11 × 14
• 11 × 17
• 13 × 19
• 16 × 20
• 17 × 22

Always confirm your printer’s specs before buying paper in bulk.

How to print borderless on Windows?

Once you have the correct paper size and media selected, follow the updated steps below based on your printer brand.

Canon

1. Open Printing Preferences.
2. Go to Page Setup.
3. Under Page Layout, choose Borderless.
4. Review the Extension Amount if available, then print.

Epson

1. Open Printing Preferences.
2. Go to the Main tab.
3. Under Page Settings, choose your paper size.
4. Select the Borderless version of that size (e.g., “A4 Borderless”).
5. Print your document.

HP

1. Open Printing Preferences.
2. Go to the Features or Layout tab (naming may vary on newer drivers).
3. Under Paper Size Options, select the Borderless size.
4. Confirm media type and print.

How to print borderless on Mac?

Canon

1. Open the Print dialog (File > Print).
2. Select your Canon printer.
3. Choose a Borderless paper size.
4. Use the Amount of Extension slider to control how far the images extend off the page.
5. Click Print.

Epson

1. In the Print dialog, open the Paper Size dropdown.
2. Choose a Borderless version of your paper size.
3. Set your orientation and media type.
4. If needed, go to Print Settings > Expansion to adjust borderless expansion.
5. Print your document.

HP

1. Open the Print dialog (File > Print).
2. Go to Paper Handling.
3. Check Scale to Fit Paper Size.
4. Select a Borderless paper size.
5. If macOS displays a second pop-up confirming borderless availability, enable it.
6. Print your document.

Troubleshooting common borderless printing issues

• Borderless option missing: Your printer does not support borderless printing on that size or media type. Try a supported photo size.
• White line appears on one edge: Add bleed to your images or adjust borderless “expansion” settings.
• Images are cropped: Set scaling to 100%, or adjust print area manually.
• Colors look dull: Select the correct media type (e.g., “Photo Paper”) and use high-quality mode.
• Printer won’t allow borderless on plain paper: Many printers only allow borderless on glossy/photo paper.

Final words

This is everything you need to know about printing truly borderless or edge-to-edge on your printer. With the proper design setup, updated drivers, and the right printer settings, you can achieve clean, professional-looking full-bleed prints at home.

To create your own professional flyer, poster, or print-ready design, try PosterMyWall’s Online Flyer Creator and start designing instantly.

FAQs

Q. What file format is best for borderless printing?

High-resolution JPEG or PDF files work best for borderless prints. JPEGs give you more control in print dialogs, while PDFs maintain quality and layout consistency across devices.

Q. What resolution should my images be for high-quality borderless printing?

For crisp results, your images should be 300 DPI at the final print size. Lower resolutions may appear blurry when the printer enlarges the image during borderless expansion.

Q. What should I do if my borderless prints look slightly skewed or misaligned?

Run your printer’s built-in printhead alignment and paper feed calibration tools. Skewing often happens because rollers shift the page slightly, especially during borderless printing where precise alignment is crucial.