This bug is inherited from Openoffice and is at least 3 years old, but I suspect it is much older.

AOO bug filed in July of 2010 is here:

https://issues.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=112863

And by the way... for anyone who needs to print Tabloid documents (anyone who uses large spreadsheets for one), this is a SHOWSTOPPER bug.

I am seeing the exact same thing in Mac OS X 10.8.4 and LibreOffice Version 4.0.3.3 for OS X as well as OpenOffice 3.4.1.  My workaround is to create a PDF and then use Preview to print it on my Brother MFC-J4510DW.

Changing importance to HIGH and CRITICAL, because as I said, this is a SHOWSTOPPER BUG for anyone who needs to be able to print Tabloid (11x17) sized documents.

Help!

Just an FYI- I cannot replicate this behavior in Linux.  When I use LO and choose a tabloid page size, it shows tabloid in the preview and I can select tabloid paper size and print just fine to tabloid on any of our printers that have tabloid paper.  Perhaps it is MS-Windows specific (as marked).

I was pointed here by a comment in https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=67903 and I don't see how they are related.

Ok, I found an annoying workaround that is impractical for companies using (or trying to use( Libreoffice as their primary Office platform.

File > Print > Options

Then check the box "Use only paper size from printer preferences"

The problem is I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get this pref to 'stick'.

Guess I need to go open a new bug for that one too...

This bug is very simple.

Every Copier/Printer I've checked that is capable of printing to Letter, Legal and Tabloid size paper refer to these sizes as:

Letter (8.50 x 11.00)
Legal (8.50 x 14.00)
and
11x17 (11.00 x 17.00)

LibreOffice/AOO both refer to these sizes as:

Letter (8.50 x 11.00)
Legal (8.50 x 14.00)
and
Tabloid (11.00 x 17.00)

This is the exact cause of this problem - since the Paper Size Name of 'Tabloid' doesn't exist on the target printer, Libreoffice falls back to the default of 'Letter'.

So, as far as I can see, there are only two ways to fix this:

1. Change the Paper Size Name from 'Tabloid' to '11x17', or

2. Create an alternate/secondary name that has the exact same paper size that Libreoffice falls back to if 'Tabloid' is unavailable on the target printer.

Would some kind soul *please please please* fix this? It can't be that hard can it? I mean, it should just be a string change or something...

(In reply to comment #6)
> Ok, I found an annoying workaround that is impractical for companies using
> (or trying to use( Libreoffice as their primary Office platform.
> 
> File > Print > Options
> 
> Then check the box "Use only paper size from printer preferences"
> 
> The problem is I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get this pref
> to 'stick'.
> 
> Guess I need to go open a new bug for that one too...

Done:

https://www.libreoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=79077

This is not a critical bug - please don't change priorities

(In reply to comment #7)
> 2. Create an alternate/secondary name that has the exact same paper size
> that Libreoffice falls back to if 'Tabloid' is unavailable on the target
> printer.

Like here?
http://opengrok.libreoffice.org/xref/core/i18nutil/source/utility/paper.cxx#76

Also I have found it is defined as PAPER_USER here:
http://opengrok.libreoffice.org/xref/core/sc/source/filter/excel/xlpage.cxx#82

But it seems that the fallback doesn't work.

> Would some kind soul *please please please* fix this? It can't be that hard
> can it? I mean, it should just be a string change or something...

This is open source project - if you want something done, do it yourself and contribute a patch ;). You can do a string change and compile own build. Easy peasy.

Perhaps bug 81065 is related. There seems to be a problem with libreoffice accepting the paper size/orientation from the printer preferences.

Hi Chuck,

I guess you could say it is related because it is also a print issue, but that is about all.

This bug is about a very easy to reproduce, persistent problem - it is IMPOSSIBLE to print to an 11x17 (Tabloid) size paper on Windows.

The only workaround I've been able to find is print Letter to PDF, then print the PDF, and change the paper size to Tabloid, which works every time.

Well, crap, now this workaround stopped working...

Joel - you say this isn't a critical bug? Say that in a company with 50+_ employees, all of whom at different times work with very large spreadsheets and need to actually be able to print to Tabloid sized paper available on their expensive copiers.

You'll quickly find how arrogant your personal assessment is.

This is an absolute BLOCKER for us, and has caused our boss to ask me to start rolling out Microsoft Office.

The sad thing is, the lack of response to this bug really gives me ZERO argument against it.

Word, Excel and Powerpoint all have been printing just fine on Tabloid this entire time.

(In reply to comment #6)
> Ok, I found an annoying workaround that is impractical for companies using
> (or trying to use( Libreoffice as their primary Office platform.
> 
> File > Print > Options
> 
> Then check the box "Use only paper size from printer preferences"
> 
> The problem is I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get this pref
> to 'stick'.
> 
> Guess I need to go open a new bug for that one too...

A couple things here:

1. Our assessment (QA) does not imply that devs will fix the problem. We do not push bugs onto devs, they volunteer to accept them. Even if this was set to blocker -> highest it would not guarantee (or even imply) that it would get more attention.

2. If you are using this for enterprise use, then well, perhaps you could consider giving back to the community and paying for support to have this "blocker" bug fixed. 50+ computers using LibreOffice, I would imagine you have the funds to help us help you. I could give you the names of several companies that offer paid support.

3. Arrogant....well, there's nothing I enjoy better than waking up, volunteering hundreds of hours of my time, and being called names. 

On that note, I'm removing myself from cc

(In reply to comment #13)
> Joel - you say this isn't a critical bug? Say that in a company with 50+_
> employees, all of whom at different times work with very large spreadsheets
> and need to actually be able to print to Tabloid sized paper available on
> their expensive copiers.
> You'll quickly find how arrogant your personal assessment is.
> This is an absolute BLOCKER for us, and has caused our boss to ask me to
> start rolling out Microsoft Office.
> The sad thing is, the lack of response to this bug really gives me ZERO
> argument against it.
> Word, Excel and Powerpoint all have been printing just fine on Tabloid this
> entire time.

Joel is not arrogant, it is general policy of this project: 
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugTriage#Step_6._Prioritize_Bug
Also see what was recently added at https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport#After_you_submit_a_bug.
If this bug is blocker for you - then stop complaining demanding a fix - fix it yourself or persuade your boss to be LibreOffice donator and pay for a fix in true open source spirit... That is the reality.
The list of certified LibreOffice developers:
http://www.documentfoundation.org/certification/developers/

I was able to find a workaround for our Xerox printer. I could not print to tabloid with the PostScript Driver that was installed, but by installing another instance of this printer with the PCL5 driver, I can now print to tabloid from LibreOffice.

Arrogant was a poor choice of words, but the fact is, responses like 'why don't you just pay someone to fix it' for fundamental flaws in software that is advertised on the main Libreoffice Home Page as:

"LibreOffice 4.3: today, you can’t own a better office suite"

is just ridiculous.

Maybe there should be disclaimers on the web page like:

"Oh... wait... you mean you want to actually be able to print to standard size paper sizes like Tabloid (11x17)?

Oh... wait... you mean you want to actually be able to use the newer versions *and* be able to paste into your Input fields, like you were able to do since Openoffice 1.0, but that was broken in the 4.2 series?

Well, then, you need to stop whining and pony up..."

Sorry - it is much easier to just stop fighting and let the boss buy Microsoft Office licenses... which he has already apparently decided to do, so this is really a moot point I guess. Sad, really...

It's been a long road since we started using Openoffice (1.0), with ups and downs, but just too many downs in the last few years. The major problems started with poor compatibility with the new OOXML file formats - NOT the Libreoffice developers fault, and I totally understand this, but it didn't change the fact that we started getting more and more documents over time that would actually crash Libreoffice consistently. The crashes eventually stopped, and the compatibility got better, but combined with these showstopper (for us) bugs - one having been present for YEARS (this bug) and the other a major regression that has existed during the entire lifecycle of one major release (4.2) and still exists in the first release of 4.3 (the inability to paste into Input fields in 4.2+ versions) - well, it is just a last straw kind of thing...

I'm sorry you had a bad experience.

Thanks Michael.

In fact I really am sorry that I sometimes let my frustrations get the better of me.

If I was independently wealthy and/or a software developer, I would absolutely participate directly, adopting probably 10 or 20 of my pet bugs in every FLOSS project I use, and sponsor new features, etc... but alas, I am not, so all I can do is beg, and sometimes say "thank you!".

So... thank you, Libreoffice devs, for Libreoffice - it isn't perfect (nothing is), and works, and works well for most things and in most cases, and really does seem to be getting much better as time goes on... :)