Diagnosis
The issue where pages appear out of sequence when printing 4-in-1 layouts on the Brother Work Smart 1360 is typically caused by a mismatch between the software's "Page Order" logic and the physical orientation of your document. By default, many drivers use a "Horizontal" order, which places page 1 in the top-left and page 2 in the top-right. However, if your document is designed for vertical flow or if you are printing a double-sided (duplex) set, the printer may be interpreting the sequence in a way that contradicts your intended reading path. This happens because the "Multiple Page" layout function is a driver-level instruction that overrides the standard document flow. If the "Page Order" is set to Horizontal but your content is meant to be read top-to-bottom, page 2 will appear to the right of page 1 instead of below it. You can confirm this by looking at the Print Preview screen; if the thumbnails show page 2 in the upper right quadrant while you expect it in the lower left, the Page Order setting is the culprit.
How to Fix It
To correct the layout sequence for 4-pages-per-sheet, follow these precise steps within the Brother Print Support App or the Brother printer driver settings:
- Open the document you wish to print and select the **Print** icon.
- Select the **Brother Work Smart 1360** as your active printer.
- Navigate to **Print Settings** or **Printer Properties**.
- Locate the **Layout** tab or section.
- Find the **Multiple Page** dropdown menu and ensure **4-in-1** is selected.
- Directly beneath the Multiple Page selection, locate the **Page Order** setting. This is the critical step.
- Change the selection from "Horizontal" to **Vertical**. This ensures the sequence flows Page 1 (Top Left) $\rightarrow$ Page 2 (Bottom Left) $\rightarrow$ Page 3 (Top Right) $\rightarrow$ Page 4 (Bottom Right).
- If your pages are still appearing in a mirrored or reversed sequence, select **Horizontal Reverse** or **Vertical Reverse** depending on whether the error is occurring across the X or Y axis.
- (Optional) To prevent the pages from bleeding into one another, toggle the **Border Line** option to "On" to create a thin grey divider between the four quadrants.
- Click **OK** or **Print** to execute the job.
If That Didn't Work
- Check the "Reverse Order" Global Setting: In the main printer preferences, there is a separate "Reverse Order" checkbox. If this is checked, the printer will print the last page of your document first, which completely disrupts the 4-in-1 layout logic. Uncheck "Reverse Order" in the Basic settings tab before applying the Multiple Page layout.
- PDF Software Override: If you are printing a PDF via Adobe Acrobat, the software often overrides the Brother driver. Instead of using the Brother App settings, go to the Adobe Print dialog, select **Multiple**, set "Pages per sheet" to 4, and change the "Page Order" dropdown within the Adobe menu to "Horizontal" or "Vertical" to match your needs.
- Paper Orientation Conflict: Ensure your paper size is set to "Letter" or "A4" and the orientation is set to **Landscape**. Printing a 4-in-1 layout on a "Portrait" setting often forces the driver to rotate the pages 90 degrees, which makes the page order appear scrambled even if the sequence is technically correct.
- Driver Reinstallation: If the "Page Order" options are greyed out or missing, you likely have the generic "AirPrint" or "Class Driver" installed rather than the full Brother Work Smart feature set. Uninstall the printer from your device and reinstall using the official Brother full-driver package to unlock advanced layout controls.
Heads Up
- Ink Consumption: Printing 4-in-1 reduces the size of the text significantly; if you are using a light-colored font, the reduced scale may make the text appear faded. Use a bold, black font for high-density layouts.
- Paper Weight: When printing multiple pages on one sheet, the ink density in certain quadrants can be higher. Use 20lb or 24lb bright white paper to prevent "cockling" (warping) of the page.
- Alignment Check: If the 4-in-1 grid is not centered, run the "Alignment" tool from the printer's maintenance menu on the LCD screen to ensure the print head is calibrated.
- Previewing: Always use the "Print Preview" function. If the preview shows the wrong order, the physical print will be wrong; do not waste ink attempting to "guess" the order through trial and error.