Microsoft Print to PDF is a useful tool for exporting content to the Portable Document Format (PDF). It’s great for applications and programs that don’t have capability built-in. However, it also bypasses the Microsoft Word 200
Dots Per Inch/Pixels Per Inch (DPI/PPI) limit for bitmap images built into the program.
By default Microsoft Print to PDF will not print to custom page sizes on Windows 10 and Windows 11. This means the document may be distorted to fit on a standard page format such as Letter
.
There’s a way to enable the functionality, but it requires:
Administrator
privileges.- Modifying a configuration file.
- Adding custom page templates for selection.
Change How Microsoft Print to PDF Behaves
To change the default behavior for Microsoft Print to PDF, you need to find the configuration file. Follow the next 11 steps to find and edit its contents.
- Open the Registry Editor.
- Replace the current path with [
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Printers\Microsoft Print to PDF
] and press Enter. - Find the value of
PrintQueueV4Driver
. Note the name.

- Open File Explorer and replace the current path with [
C:\Windows\System32\spool\V4Dirs\
] and press Enter. - Double-click on the directory matching the Registry entry identified from Step 3.
- Set permissions for the folder so you can save and modify files within.
- Make a copy of the files within.
- There should be two
.gpd
files within. Open with Notepad the one with a random character sequence that matches the.BUD
file.

- Search for [
*DefaultOption: LETTER
] within the document. - Insert the following content below the line above:
*Option: CUSTOMSIZE
{
*rcNameID: =USER_DEFINED_SIZE_DISPLAY
*MinSize: PAIR(936000, 1332000)
*MaxSize: PAIR(5346000, 7560000)
*MaxPrintableWidth: 5346000
}
- Save and close.

Create Custom Page Sizes
While Microsoft Print to PDF can now use custom page sizes, it doesn’t permit specifying the dimensions at print time. The custom page sizes must be specified prior to printing. There are two options available depending on which edition of Windows is used.
- Print Server Properties. Available for both Home and Pro.
- Print Management. Available for Pro.
Both are detailed below as the first one may be difficult to reach due to Windows 11 moving away from the Control Panel in favour of the Settings page. The How to Open “Devices and Printers in Windows 11 tutorial details several ways of reaching the Print Server Properties page.
Print Server Properties
- Open the Control Panel.
- Change View by to
Large Icons
. - Replace the current path with [
Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers
] and press Enter. A new window will open.

- Click on
Microsoft Print to PDF
. - Click on
Print server properties
in the toolbar. A new window will appear.

- Select an existing page template and Check
Create a new form
. - Replace
Form Name
with a meaningful name. - Adjust page dimensions, keeping margins at zero.
- Click on
OK
.
Print Management
- Open the
Print Management
application.

- Expand
Print Servers
,SERVER NAME (Local)
, and Click onForms.
- Click on
Action
menu andManage Forms
. A new window will appear.

- Select an existing page template and Check
Create a new form
. - Replace
Form Name
with a meaningful name. - Adjust page dimensions, keeping margins at zero.
- Click on
OK
.
Testing the Changes
If everything works as expected you shouldbe able to select the appropriate page size to prevent distortion of the document(s).
- Print a document with custom page sizes to
Microsoft Print to PDF
printer. - Click on
Printer Properties
. A new window will appear.

- Click on
Advanced
. A new window will appear.

- Select the proper size from
Paper Size
. - Click on
OK
. - Print the document and confirm the file output.
That’s it!
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