When the printed pages do not look like the ones that were previewed, it is important to identify any printing issues that may be present. To do so, there are several steps one can take.
First, check that the printer settings are correct. Make sure that the paper size, orientation, and other settings match the intended output. If the paper size is off, the output may appear much smaller than what one saw on the screen. Additionally, if the printed document does not appear to be of good quality, ensure that the printer is set up to print at high resolutions.
Second, check that the document is properly formatted. Sometimes, the formatting or margins may become distorted after the file is printed. This is especially true if the margins are too small or the page size is not large enough. To avoid these issues, double-check that all the margins and text sizes are appropriately adjusted before printing.
Third, make sure that any graphics or images used in the document are of a suitable quality for printing. Low-resolution images are often too pixelated to appear clearly on the page. Additionally, some graphics programs may add extra elements when they are converted to a printed format. It is important to save graphics as printing-ready formats prior to printing.
Finally, if none of these steps seem to work, try to print the document again. Sometimes, printer errors may occur and not be noticed until the document has already been printed. Re-printing the document with different settings can help identify any potential printing issues.
In summary, when printed pages do not look like the ones that were previewed, one should first check the printer settings, document formatting, graphics quality, and re-print the document if necessary. By doing so, one can identify any printing issues that may be present and get the output looking as expected.