Fri, Feb 01, 2008
Papersize for OpenOffice on Linux
Posted to Code category
If OpenOffice on Linux keeps defaulting to the wrong paper size (A4 vs. letter or vice versa) check the value in /etc/papersize and make sure it is set correctly. Also check the values of any PAPERSIZE or PAPERCONF environment variables.
You need to close all OpenOffice windows after changing /etc/papersize, so that OpenOffice is shut down completely. Then reopen it to see the chnaged default.
Ubuntu seems to default it to A4. Fedora had the file, but with only a comment in it. And Centos 5 did not have the file at all (I may not have openoffice installed on that machine.
Oddly, OpenOffice on Windows XP hung opening a Windows doc file that opened fine on Linux. I should probably check for OpenOffice updates. That file was from Europe, so the A4 paper size in it was not from the default setting.
I need to remember to check the papersize settings on docs from Europe.