Default Paper Size Setting

[_Gene_Dreher_]

How in the blazes does one set this thing to default to "letter" size paper? I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to find stuff in your "help" and "knowledgebase" (You hired the manager of that department from Microsoft, didn't you?)

If I just open a document and print it, it tries to print A4. Fine for you Eurotypes, but my HP printer hangs and asks for A4 paper. I get to have a Microsoft moment, while I spend 10 minutes doing a 1 minute job.

It's not in the "help" and it's not in the "preferences". Is it in the registry? Or a config file?

Your help systems have become too sophisticated. You need to hire some old retired people or non-Adobe people to quality control it. It may make sense to you, but it is almost opaque to someone who doesn't exist inside your sociogram.

[_Doug_Mackie_]

Gene,

The default paper size is not a Reader setting. Like many applications, the Reader uses the system-wide defaults set in the printer properties for each printer in the Windows control panel. That is the default shown unless you have the Reader's option to "choose paper source by PDF page size" enabled.

You haven't said what version of Reader or of Windows that you use, but here is the sequence for Windows Vista:

Open control panel. Click "Hardware & Sound" then Printers. Right-click on the printer in question and click Printing Preferences from the context menu. Choose a new paper size in the appropriate tab, click OK, and exit.

The procedure for other versions of Windows varies, but there is always a printer properties dialog that sets the defaults. The dialog is available for each printer via the control panel.

[tarhoop]

Doug, 

I found this thread on a Google search of my issues.  I long suspected it was how the printer was set up.  However, I have completely uninstalled, and reinstalled my printer.  I have hard set the printer defaults to print "Letter" - yet everytime I open Adobe Reader and try to print something... I have to go into my advanced Adobe Reader print settings, which takes me to my printer settings, and the printer is switched back to A4.  

I close everything, and open my printer settings, it's set to Letter.  If I open Adobe, and select print, and set all the print settings to letter, it prints without issue.  If I leave it open and check my printer settings, they remain set at Letter.  But if I close Adobe, and reopen it, even reopen the same file, formated for Letter, and try to print, Reader will be stretching it to fit, because Reader's internal settings reset my Printer defaults to A4 - but only for Reader.

Any ideas what is going on? 

I just updated everything today, so, Windows 10 as current as it gets, and Adobe Reader, current.  Printer doesn't matter, Reader has done this since at LEAST Windows 7, but Lexmark C3224 - all drivers updated.

[nldijkje]

Hi, I had the same problem (just the other way around, after Adobe update it changed the default to "Letter", very annoying).

My solution (for Windows 10, 21H2, build 19044.2546 with Adobe Acrobat Standard version 2022.003.20314):

- go to settings

- go to devices

- go to printers and scanners

- click on "Adobe PDF"

- click on "Management"

- click on "Printer properties" (your default will show A4)

- go to "advanced" tab and change default settings to "letter"

- go to "devicesettings" tab and change format to "letter"

My Windows version is in Dutch so the way to get there might be different.

[_Gene_Dreher_]

Thanks Doug.

Yes, (I use pdfcreator as the default printer on my notebook.) But it's default papersize was set to A4. It seemed that even though I had redirected the printer to an HP Laserjet with the proper default paper size, the software had picked up the first one.

Thanks again.

[_Heiko_Grom_]

I have a similiar problem. I use edocprint as default(pdf)printer which opens Acrobat Reader 8.12. When I change the printer to HL-1470 (or any other) I always have to change papersize from user defined (Benutzerdefiniert) to A4. Default Setting edoc and HL is A4. The Workstation is XP pro and my Notebook has Acrobat 5 installed and I have the same problem there when Acrobat prints a PDF and I want to print the PDF on a real printer. Thanks for any suggestions!

[GaryB4]

I am creating a pdf from Excel.  In Excel I have sent the doc size to Letter since the pdf is going to the States.  My printer default is A4.

So how do I create the pdf as Letter size ?  It is always created as A4.

[~graffiti]

Microsoft uses it's own pdf generator. You'll want to ask in one of their forums since this doesn't involve Adobe.

[defaultm3qnj4sq909n]

Thanks!  This solved my problem!