Request:
I would like LibreOffice Writer to add a built-in 6 x 9 inch page size preset for book and print-on-demand workflows, and also add an option to save a custom page layout as a reusable preset/template after a user changes page size, margins, mirrored/right-left layout, and related print settings.
Problem:
6 x 9 is one of the most common trim sizes for print-on-demand publishing, including Amazon KDP. Yet setting it up in Writer still requires manual page-style editing, repeated adjustment of margins and left/right page behavior, and repeated recreation of the same workflow across documents. This is especially frustrating when users are converting from DOCX or other imported formats, where page-style behavior can become inconsistent or non-obvious. LibreOffice already uses page styles to control layout, but the current workflow does not make common publishing layouts easy to discover, easy to reuse, or easy to preserve. �
LibreOffice Help +2
Requested improvements:
Add a native 6 x 9 inch preset in Writer page setup/page styles.
Add a prompt such as: “You changed page size, margins, and page layout. Save this as a reusable preset?”
Let users name and reuse saved presets such as “KDP Paperback 6x9” or “Hardcover 6x9.”
Improve reliability of imported DOCX files so that custom page-style changes are more transparent and persistent.
Make saved page-layout presets easy to apply to new and existing documents.
Why this matters:
This would save substantial time for authors, self-publishers, students, and other users who repeat the same layout tasks across many files. It would also reduce formatting errors in export-to-PDF workflows and make LibreOffice more competitive for real publishing use. This is a small feature with high practical value.
User impact:
The current process forces users to recreate common layouts manually, even when they do the same workflow repeatedly. A reusable-preset system would turn repeated frustration into one-time setup.
If you have a repetitive workflow, you can create once a dedicated .ott template containing your layout and all styles. This template can be applied to existing “non-templated” .odt documents with Template Changer extension.
However, this will not work on DOCX files. “Templating” (and page styles) will be lost as soon as you save DOCX. And nothing can be done for it because DOCX has no notion of page styles (it uses another incompatible concept which is approximately converted on load/save).
Apart from the 6×9 sheet size, I don’t think other settings contributing to layout can be agreed upon due to the personal nature of aesthetics (margins, left/right mirroring, alignment, …). So own customised template creation looks to me the current way to go (but, once again, sorry to repeat, only for native .odt documents).