How to Create Custom Forms in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000

This article describes how to create a custom form for printing to a non-standard paper size in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.

To create a custom form, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Control Panel, double-click Printers.
2. On the File menu, click Server Properties.
3. On the Forms tab, select the Create A New Form check box.
4. Enter the settings for the new form.
   
   NOTE: When you set up a custom form, the margins cannot go beyond the confines of the specifications for the installed printer driver. Printable regions must be adhered to with regard to margin limits for the printer and driver in use.
5. Click Save Form or OK.

To use the new form as the default form, follow these steps:

Windows NT

1. In Control Panel, double-click Printers.
2. Right-click the printer you want to select, and then click Document Defaults.
3. In the Paper Size box, click the new form.
4. Click OK.

Windows 2000

1. In Control Panel, double-click Printers.
2. Right-click the printer you want to select, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Preferences.
4. On the Paper Quality tab, click Advanced, and then in the Paper Size dropdown menu, select the custom form size
5. Click OK.

To use the new form from a program, follow these steps:

1. In the program, click Print.
2. In the Print dialog box, click Properties.
3. In the Paper Size box, click the new form.
4. Click OK.
5. Click OK to print.

NOTE: New forms are stored on the computer where they were created. When you create a new form for use with a shared printer, create the form on the print server.

NOTE: On a Windows 2000 computer, ocassionally the newly created form will not appear in the drop down list under paper size. If you encounter this, you may need to select an existing form under server properties, modify the settings, check box to create a new form, change the form name and save the form. Once you save the form, it should appear in the paper size drop down box.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: