How to add custom paper sizes

In my last blog post, I explained where paper sizes are stored and gave you an exhaustive list of papers and envelopes along with their sizes. That post took forever to write since I had to make sure that all of the sizes were expressed in decimals.

I hope you checked out a few print dialog boxes. If you did, you probably found that there are lots of papers and sizes that were listed, but your applications did not have them in their list.

There are several reasons why they might not show up. First, the paper may be too wide or long to be used in your printer. While I cannot fix that, I can tell you that there are a wide range of printers available for your use (often at a fee), and somewhere there is one that will accommodate each of those different sizes. You might want to speak to your local printer or Kinko’s about printing large items.

In the case of items that are small enough to fit through your printer, you can add custom items to the paper sizes using the Page Setup… command found under the File menu of most applications.

If the application does not have a Page Setup command, you can use another application to add the custom items. In the case of Address Book, which does not have Page Setup…, custom items will appear in the Paper Size list after you have added them in another application.

To add a custom sized item to the list, use an application that has the Page Setup… item in the File menu. Choose it.

Click the plus button to begin the process.

Give the custom item a name by clicking on Untitled. As you begin entering the Page Size, your printers will become available in the Printer Margins button. Selecting your printer will give you the minimum margins required for your printer. You can make the margins larger, but you will probably have unacceptable results if you attempt to use smaller margins.

If you are working with a paper with a decorative border, be sure to measure those margins and enter them in the box to make sure your printer will not print over them.

At the end of this process, be sure to click the Okay button, both at the bottom of this dialog box and at the bottom of the Page Setup dialog box to complete the process.

Now, each time you print, you will see your custom papers listed at the bottom of the Paper Size pop-up in the Print… dialog box. You will also be able to add and remove additional custom sizes without going back to the Page Setup… command.

While the custom sizes will be available in applications (such as Address Book) that do not have a Page Setup… command, you will need to use another application with that command to add additional custom sizes.

Happy Printing!

--Pat