Changing Margins and Page Orientation for Reports

The default page orientation for a report is portrait. This means the height of the page is greater than the width (like a portrait hanging on a wall). You may want to change this orientation, for instance to accommodate multiple columns of data so they fit on one page. Margins are the blank spaces at the top, bottom, left, and right of a report. By adjusting the page margins, you can control the number of records printed on each page. Use the Page Setup dialog box to adjust margins and page orientation for your reports.

To change the margins for a report:

  1. Double-click the report name in the Reports window if the report is not already open.
  2. Click the Setup toolbar button.
  3. The Page Setup dialog box opens with the Margins tab on top.
  4. Change the values for the top, bottom, left, or right margin.
  5. Click OK.

To change the page orientation for a report:

  1. Double-click the report name in the Reports window if the report is not already open.
  2. In the Page Setup dialog box, click the Page tab.
  3. Click the radio button for Portrait or Landscape orientation.
  4. Click OK.


When you print a report, Access prints the data along with and all graphic elements associated with the report's AutoFormat. To print only the data and not the graphic elements of a report, select the Print Data Only check box on the Margins tab of the Page Setup dialog box.

You can adjust the width and height of columns from the Page Setup dialog box as well.

To open the Page Setup dialog box, you can also click the File menu and select Page Setup...