Excel can use the paper sizes supplied by the active printer or printer driver, but it does not always let you type an arbitrary page width and height directly into the worksheet’s Page Setup controls. If the size you need is missing, you may have to create or enable that size in Windows or in the printer’s own settings first.
Choose an available paper size in Excel
- Open the workbook and select the worksheet you want to print.
- Open the Page Layout tab.
- Select Size in the Page Setup group.
- Choose the required paper size from the list.
- Open File > Print and inspect the preview before printing.
The choices in the Size menu can change when you select a different printer because Excel receives supported page-size information from the printer driver.
If your custom size is not listed
First select the printer you actually plan to use. Then open that printer’s preferences or properties and look for a custom paper, user-defined paper, form, or media-size option. Some Windows printer drivers let you define a custom form; others support only the sizes built into the driver.
After creating the size, close and reopen Excel if necessary and check Page Layout > Size again. If the printer does not support the requested dimensions, Excel cannot make the physical printer accept them merely by changing worksheet settings.
Fit the worksheet to the page
Paper size and worksheet scaling are separate settings. Use Orientation, Margins, and the Scale to Fit controls when the worksheet is wider or taller than the selected paper. Be cautious with “Fit Sheet on One Page” for large worksheets because it can make text too small to read.
Check the result before printing
Always inspect Print Preview. Confirm the selected printer, paper size, orientation, margins, scaling, and page breaks. A document can look correct in the worksheet while printing differently if the printer driver substitutes another size or cannot handle the chosen media.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.