Map Frame Scale Does Not Line Up Across

[Kali]

On ArcGIS Desktop (version 3.4.2), a coworker and I are generating some diagrams for a site when we came across a peculiar oddity. Despite the layout, projection, and scale being the same, the figures that are produced appear to be on entirely different scales. As you can see in the attached images, both of the scales are 1:30,000 but the zoom appears entirely different. The areas you see highlighted have 1 mile buffers and appear to be of the same size, it's just the figures have completely different zooms.

Any help would be appreciated in this issue so that we can work to remedy it.

[Ed_]

Is the scale on the bottom left same as well?

[Kali]

It is indeed, 1:30,000 on both computers.

[DavidPike]

Bigger page layout.  Probably something like A4 vs A3.

The scale text is only correct when physically printed at that size, or in displayed on-screen at that exact layout size.

[Kali]

I thought about that and checked it but sadly it wasn't that either. Both of them were imported from the same layout template so they should be identical and both have the same measurements of the (US) standard 11x8.5 letter paper.

[Ed_]

Are they both on the same monitor?

Another thing could be that if you are zooming in using the mouse wheel button or a laptop tracking pad then their scrolling speed (so to say) might be different.

[DavidPike]

It's just wrong really.  The scale text and bar must be linked to the other Map Frame, or the bar and text are static or graphic elements.  I would go into google maps (other map services are available..) and do a quick sanity measurement to see what might be going on.

It's very basic, but scale bar for each map is to the left of the centre marker, and 8000ft (2 x scale bars) is to the right.  Green line is difference.  

[AubriKinghorn · Accepted solution]

This is really odd behavior. Can you each open the project the other created on your computer and see if the difference persists? It sounds like you've both created the layout using the same process and are seeing differences. If you open the other's created project on your machine and it looks the same as the one you created, then there is probably something going on between the 2 machines. Possible different zoom settings in the OS or Pro. 

On the other hand if you open the other's project on your machine and you still see the difference then there is something going on with that map or layout specifically. I'd check coordinate systems of the map, default units, and that the scale bar points to the correct map frame. 

[Kali]

I ended up figuring it out after pulling both projects in this morning. For whatever reason, when I moved one of the maps to a different coordinate system, it displayed that it had when it reality it had not. Simply refreshing the map's coordinate system so that they both actually lined up (thanks Arc 3.4!) ended up ensuring that they lined up.

I appreciate the help!