Page Layout ⇒ Paper Size

[beethovengg]

hello latex experts

i tried to experiment with the options on paper size in the document class options. here is what i found out (i used the same margins, headers and footers using fancyhdr, etc. but changed only paper sizes).

for example, if i used a4paper, and "run" the source file, the PDF file that I get is what im expecting: the margins are correct, the headers and footers are correct (and their "distances" from the edges of the paper, etc.), and the "white paper background" is correct too (i.e., a4paper).

now, i tried letterpaper, and run the source file. what I noticed is that the "general look" of the text in the page changed (expected), but the "white paper background" is still a4paper. (thus, literally, the margins and header/footer distances changed, but i suppose that if the "white paper background" had been letterpaper and not a4paper, the margins and header/footer distances would be what Im expecting)

if i changed to, e.g., legalpaper, the same thing happened: the general look of the text changed, but still, the "white paper background" remains a4paper.

I know that the "white paper background" is a4paper not only because i can see it, but because it also checks out in Properties in the File Menu of Adobe Reader.

In short, whatever paper size I choose, I always get the same "white paper background" in PDF. Im beginning to think there may be something wrong in configuration, or some other thing.

what I would want, if possible, is for the white paper background to be letterpaper if I choose letterpaper in the document class option, or legalpaper if I choose legalpaper in the document class option, etc.

may i seek your kind help on this?

beethovengg

[localghost]

If your system is configured to a default paper size of A4, this might happen. The geometry package writes information about the paper size to the output file, thus corrects this behaviour. The classes of KOMA Script offer an option to do so. At the moment I don't know if the memoir class offers similar options.


Thorsten

[beethovengg]

Thank you Mr. Thorsten for your suggestion.

I did check my system configuration (Start, All Programs, MikTex 2.8, Maintenance Folder, Settings). The default paper size was indeed A4. I thought of setting it to "unknown" and not "letter paper". After I did this, i run my test file and changed the paper sizes and run again. To my surprise, the "white paper background" changed correspondingly.

In case somebody encounters this same problem, they know now how to solve it.

Thank you again.

beethovengg