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Why is the A3 (or 11" x 17") paper size not available?!

Anonymous
2012-09-09T13:35:34+00:00

Going into Page Setup > Size , one would have thought it would be an option to select A3 sized paper, or 11" x 17" without having to do this manually.  Why is this not an option?  (and... slightly annoying & time consuming having to manually lookup A3 sizes then input these....)

It would be good to have a function whereby a link to the net could feed back more useful standard paper sizes... frustrating as this function is in use in previous versions of Word.  Can the A3 or other sizes be added??

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435K Reputation points
    2012-09-09T14:12:52+00:00

    The info & options offered in Page Setup are provided by the driver software for the printer drivers you have installed -- they are not provided by Word. If A3 isn't in the list it's because the selected printer doesn't have the capacity to print on that size stock. Try choosing Any Printer from the Format For: list & see if A3 [along with a number of others you hadn't seen] shows up.

    It sounds like you're aware that you can specify any dimensions you wish by using the Manage Custom Sizes feature to define the paper sizes you prefer... That, however is an OS X feature -- again, simply hosted by the program you're using.

    IOW, everything in Page Setup is basically Word saying "OK, this is what I've been given for you to pick from."

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  1. John Korchok 231.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-02-09T22:02:21+00:00

    Unfortunately, everyone has their own idea of what a standard paper size is and the result would be an unwieldy list of hundreds of formats.

    The solution is simple enough: install a model of printer that includes A3 size. The best idea is to install the same model that your client is using, then you know the margins will be right. Use File for the port, since you don't actually have to print to it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-11-02T12:17:37+00:00

    No-one has 'taken things away'. All Word versions format documents according to the currently active printer driver. Different printers have different capabilities. If the active printer isn't capable of printing a given page size, then Word will determine that from the driver and not make it available.  This is not a question of an option having been taken away - it was never there in the first place.

    If you may wish to print it elsewhere on a printer that has the required capability, then you could install the driver for the printer on which the document will ultimately be printed. The printer itself doesn't have to be physically present. Or use PDF as a vehicle to create a transportable document of the required size.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-02-20T07:02:23+00:00

    It is ridiculous for Word to restrict page size to what printers can detect. It's none of Microsoft's business what printers I currently have connected, it's extremely unhelpful when I want a document in the very common A3 size to have to go hunting around to enter its dimensions as a customized.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-30T19:35:21+00:00

    Hello. My problem is not that the printer doesn't offer the page size (A3, tabloid, or 11x17) I use this printer specifically for 11x17 prints. I can print the correct size from my desktop, my phone, ipad, but I cannot print to it (in the correct size) from my laptop. The sizes listed in the print options do not appear to have the size that I need. Is there a way to include it in the options? Or could it be called something else that I am not finding despite my google efforts? I really need it to print from my laptop.

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