Borderless printing not working?
If the borderless option is missing or grayed out, or prints still have white edges, the cause is usually the paper size or type, another setting, the app’s own margins or the enlargement amount. Check them in that order.
Last updated: October 22, 2026
What is happening?
Step 1 of 2Likely cause
Likely cause: the paper size, paper type or print quality you chose does not support borderless, or another setting is turned on.
- 1Check the exact model’s borderless paper-size and media list, not just its ordinary supported paper sizes. Select a listed combination.
- 2Turn off two-sided printing and similar layout options, which some drivers disable with borderless.
- 3On Brother, the option only appears when paper size, media type and print quality all support it.
- 4Check your printer’s manual for the paper sizes it supports for borderless.
Likely cause
Likely cause: the app adds its own margins, the image is smaller than the paper, or the enlargement amount is set too low.
- 1Set the margins to zero in the app you print from, and set the same borderless paper size in the app and the driver.
- 2Make the image fill the whole page in the app.
- 3Raise the expansion or extension amount in the driver.
- 4Use our Letter/A4 test only if borderless is supported at that size. Otherwise test a photo matching one of your model’s listed borderless sizes.
Likely cause
Likely cause: borderless enlarges the image slightly so it runs off every edge, and the extra is cut off.
- 1Lower the expansion or extension amount in the driver, if your printer allows it.
- 2Crop the image to the shape of the paper before printing, so nothing important sits near the edges.
- 3Keep text and faces away from the edges of the page.
- 4Reducing expansion can bring back white edges. Compare one print at a time; minimum expansion is not a guaranteed no-crop setting.
Most likely causes
Paper size or type does not support borderless
Epson, Canon and Brother all limit borderless to certain paper sizes and media types. Canon lists envelopes and some special papers as unsupported and does not recommend plain paper, and Epson says custom sizes cannot print borderless.
Another setting turns it off
Canon’s driver disables some options, such as manual duplex and stamps, while borderless is on, and Brother needs the print quality to support it too.
The app adds its own margins
Brother says an app’s margins can override the driver, and an older HP guide says to set a borderless size in both the app and the driver.
The enlargement amount
Borderless prints the image slightly larger than the paper. Too little enlargement leaves white edges, and too much crops more of the image.
What to try, in order
- 1Pick a supported paper size and typeUse the exact model’s borderless size/media list and load that paper. Ordinary Letter/A4 support does not establish borderless support. Check which test fits your paper.
- 2Turn on borderless in the driverLook for a Borderless checkbox on the main or layout tab in Windows. On a Mac, Canon and Brother use a paper size with “Borderless” in its name, and HP uses Layout, then Border, then None.
- 3Remove the app’s marginsSet the margins to zero in the app and make the image fill the page, so the app does not shrink it.
- 4Adjust the expansion and testCompare one print after changing expansion. Use our Letter/A4 borderless test only at a supported size; for photo-only sizes, use a matching photo. Less expansion may leave white edges.
Canon and Epson note that print quality can drop at the top and bottom edges of borderless prints, and that a large extension can smudge the back of the page.
When to stop and replace
If borderless is still unavailable with a supported photo paper size and type and other layout options off, your printer may not support borderless for that size. Check the paper sizes listed in its manual.
Inkjet or laser?
Inkjet printers
Our test has Letter/A4 edge stripes for comparison when those sizes support borderless. Expansion or scaling changes their printed spacing, so missing stripes are not a calibrated millimetre measurement. Use a matching photo for other supported sizes.
Borderless test pageLaser printers
Check your laser printer’s manual to see whether it supports borderless printing and what its printable area is before you design an edge-to-edge page.
Alignment and marginsCheck the borderless size before choosing a test
A printer can accept Letter or A4 without supporting borderless at either size. For example, the Epson ET-2800/ET-2803 guide, page 57 (PDF) lists 3.5 × 5 and 4 × 6 inches for borderless, with compatible photo papers. That example applies to those models, not every Epson printer.
Our borderless test PDFs are Letter and A4. Use one only if your model supports borderless with that size and media. For a smaller supported photo size, load matching paper and use a photo laid out for that size. Scaling our office-size PDF does not establish full-size borderless capability or preserve its measurement spacing.
White edges and cropped details need opposite adjustments
The Canon G2020 Windows guide explains that more extension loses more edge detail, while less can leave a white border. Check the preview and match the image’s shape to the paper first. Then compare one changed setting at a time. A zero margin in the app does not add a borderless mode the printer lacks.
What each maker says
- Epson: choose a paper type and size that support borderless, then tick Borderless. Custom sizes cannot print borderless. If white edges remain, Epson suggests a supported paper, a higher Expansion setting, matching the image size to the paper, and its Remove White Borders option. A low Expansion setting can leave white borders, and a high one crops more.
- Canon: on Windows, tick Borderless on the Page Setup tab and adjust Amount of Extension. On a Mac, choose a paper size with Borderless in its name. Canon says parts outside the paper are cut off, so crop the image to the paper’s shape in your app first.
- HP: borderless is in the print settings under Advanced Options or the paper size menu, only on printers that support it. On a Mac, set Border to None in the Layout menu. HP calls the enlargement Overspray.
- Brother: the Borderless checkbox is only available when paper size, media type and print quality all support it, and an app’s own margins can still leave white edges. Some printers also have a Borderless setting on the control panel, which makes printing slower.
Borderless also has trade-offs. Epson’s guide for the Stylus Pro 3800 notes that borderless printing is slower, can smear at the top and bottom edges, and can leave ink on the platen that needs wiping, and it says to set the app’s margins to zero. Before printing photos, run our borderless test page. Missing edge stripes show how much the printer cuts off. If prints come out smaller than expected instead, see prints too small.
Sources checked: Epson borderless printing (ET-4760), expansion (XP-400) and border on borderless prints (WF-3520); Canon borderless printing (G2020, Windows) and TS5300, Mac; HP print settings, printing photos and borderless from Word (older Deskjet); Brother I cannot make borderless prints, borderless (MFC-J3940DW) and control panel (MFC-J995DW).
Good questions
Why is the borderless option grayed out?
Why do I still get white edges with borderless on?
Why is my borderless print cut off at the edges?
Can I print borderless on plain paper?
Related problems
- Prints too smallYour page prints smaller than expected.
- Misaligned printText or colors look doubled or shifted.
- SmudgesWet ink or toner leaves messy marks.
More print problems
- Streaks or lines
- Faded print
- Missing color
- Banding
- Blank pages
- Wrong colors
- Test page won’t print
- Test page prints, documents don’t
- HP printer not printing
- Epson printer not printing
- Brother printer not printing
- Canon printer not printing
- Black ink not printing
- Says out of ink, but it isn’t
- Non-genuine cartridge message
- Print spooler not running
- Printer is offline
- Print job stuck in queue
- Paper jam
- Two-sided printing not working
- Driver or connection issue