To be more precise: To make this change, you must open Normal.dot as a
template, not as a document based on Normal.dot (which is the default
action).
To open Normal.dot as a template, use Windows explorer to navigate to
the folder where Normal.dot is stored**. Rightmouse click on
Normal.dot. A context menu should pop-up. Among the entries in the
pop-up menu, you should see "New" and "Open". Click on "Open"+++.
From the menu bar, click on File-Page Setup, click on the "Paper" tab,
and set A4. Take note: it is not rare (it happens to me a few times a
year) for Normal.dot to get corrupt. When Word detects this, it blows
away and recreates Normal.dot. If this happens, you'll need to repeat
this procedure.
**
If you aren't sure where Normal.dot is stored, do the following: Start
Word. From the menu bar, click on Tools->Options. Click on the "File
Locations" tab. In the list of locations, you should see one titled
"user templates". Make note of the path associated with "user
templates" - this is where Normal.dot is stored
+++
To verify that you are editing the template, and not a doc based on the
template, when Word comes up, look at the title bar. It should say
"Normal.dot". If it says "Document1", then you have clicked on "New",
not "Open", i.e, you are editing a Word .doc file based on the
Normal.dot template, not the template itself.