diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
index 0b80859804e..2c3bf612028 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Build HTML
       run: make -C docs html
     - name: Build PDF
-      run: make -C docs latexpdf
+      run: make -C docs PAPER=a4 latexpdf
     - uses: actions/upload-artifact@main
       with:
         name: mame-docs-${{ github.sha }}
diff --git a/dist.mak b/dist.mak
index edbb4cd67cb..d046914734b 100644
--- a/dist.mak
+++ b/dist.mak
@@ -128,6 +128,6 @@ $(STAGEDIR)/docs/MAME.pdf: docs/build/latex/MAME.pdf | $(GEN_FOLDERS)
 	$(call COPY,$<,$@)
 
 docs/build/latex/MAME.pdf:
-	$(MAKE) -C docs latexpdf
+	$(MAKE) -C docs PAPER=a4 latexpdf
 
 .PHONY: all clean
diff --git a/docs/Makefile b/docs/Makefile
index b5c45c82ca7..48b674871a7 100644
--- a/docs/Makefile
+++ b/docs/Makefile
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ PAPER         =
 BUILDDIR      = build
 
 # Internal variables.
-PAPEROPT_a4     = -D latex_paper_size=a4
-PAPEROPT_letter = -D latex_paper_size=letter
+PAPEROPT_a4     = -D latex_elements.papersize=a4paper
+PAPEROPT_letter = -D latex_elements.papersize=letterpaper
 ALLSPHINXOPTS   = -d $(BUILDDIR)/doctrees $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) source
 # the i18n builder cannot share the environment and doctrees with the others
 I18NSPHINXOPTS  = $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) source