Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Defining a Custom Paper Size.

Defining a Custom Paper Size

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 25, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Uttam notes that when he looks at the Page Setup dialog box he can specify a paper size for his worksheet. He wonders if there is a way that he can specify a custom paper size, different from those listed in the Page Size drop-down list.

Unlike Word, which can accept custom page sizes and can bypass the printer driver to force the printer to accept it, Excel gets its list of page sizes from those defined in the printer driver. This is why there is no way to set a custom page size in Excel.

That being said, some printer drivers do allow you to define custom page sizes. Understand, however, that this is not a feature of Excel—it is entirely dependent on the printer driver being used. You can see if your printer driver will allow custom page sizes by displaying the properties dialog box for the printer (normally displayed by clicking Properties in the Print dialog box) and poking around in the various tabs and controls it contains.

In those cases where your printer driver allows you to define custom paper sizes and you are successful in defining one (or more), those paper sizes should appear within Excel without your need to do anything else. (Well, you may need to restart Excel or Windows after you create the custom paper size, but that will also depend on your printer driver and how it interacts with Windows.)

If your printer driver does not allow you to define a custom paper size, the only workaround is to use one of the paper sizes it provides. Pick a size that is larger than the custom size you would like to use, and then adjust the margins within Excel so that the resulting printable area on the page is the same as you would use on your custom paper size.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9389) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Defining a Custom Paper Size.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Replacing Plain Text with a Hyperlink

Active hyperlinks can be a desired feature in some types of documents. If you want to replace multiple instances of plain ...

Discover More

Sheets for Days

Need a quick way to have a worksheet for each day in a month? Here's a macro that makes the worksheet creation a snap.

Discover More

Forcing a Complete Spelling and Grammar Check

There are a couple of ways that various parts of a document can have spelling and grammar checking "turned off." This tip ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Setting Default Print Margins

Don't like the print margins that Excel uses by default? You can change the default by changing the workbook on which ...

Discover More

Scaling Your Printing

If you want to cram more of your worksheet onto each page of a printout, one way to do it is by using scaling. Here's how ...

Discover More

Changing Page Margins

If your worksheet is destined to be printed, you'll need to be concerned with how it appears on the page. One layout ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.