When crafting reports, one of the foundational aspects to consider is the concept of margins. These boundaries play a crucial role in defining the usable space for your content and ensuring a professional final product.
For most reports, we work with Letter size paper (8.5″ × 11″). The formula for determining usable width is simple:
Width of paper – Left Margin – Right Margin = Useable space
For example, with standard 1-inch margins on an 8.5-inch wide page:
8.5″ – 1″ – 1″ = 6.5″ usable space
With 0.5-inch margins (common in practice):
8.5″ – 0.5″ – 0.5″ = 7.5″ usable space
Some printers can struggle with margins smaller than 0.25 inches.
How to Access Margin Settings
- Right-click in the outer space: Right-click in the blue or grey area surrounding your report layout.
- Select "Report properties": This opens a pane containing various settings.
- Review margins: Find Left, Right, Top, and Bottom margin fields and set them before beginning layout work.
The Takeaway
Whenever you begin working on a new report, the very first step should be to review and set your margin properties. This defines the boundaries of your design canvas and guides all subsequent layout decisions. If your report body width exceeds your usable space, you'll get unwanted extra blank pages in the output.