PDF Grid for Contact Sheets and Layouts
How do I arrange PDF pages in rows and columns?
Arrange PDF pages on a sheet using a custom number of rows and columns. Choose the placement order and page range for a contact sheet, reference grid or compact handout. More cells make each source page smaller, so check whether captions and fine lines remain readable. Use N-up when one of its standard layouts is sufficient.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to create a PDF grid
Add one PDF
Click Choose PDF or Upload PDF, or drop a PDF of up to 200 MB on the preview. Uploads lists PDFs you added earlier, including results from other PDF tools. One PDF is processed per job.
Set rows and columns
Enter Rows and Columns. The default 2 × 2 grid places 4 pages on each output page; 3 rows × 4 columns places 12.
Choose cell size, order and pages
Paper size and Orientation set the size of each cell, and Layout order decides where page 1, 2, 3 and so on go. Leave Pages (optional) empty to use the whole document, or enter pages such as
1-3,5.Create and check the result
Click Create grid PDF. The result opens in the preview; zoom in to check details. Your original PDF stays selected, so you can change a setting and create the grid again.
Download
Click Download grid PDF. The result is also saved in Uploads, so you can pass it to another PDF tool without uploading it again.
Grid settings explained
The output is built from cells. Each cell holds one page at the size you choose, and the output page is as large as all its cells together.
- Rows and Columns
- Whole numbers of 1 or more; both start at 2, and the input arrows change the count by 1. Rows × columns is the number of source pages on each output page. Divide your selected page count by that number and round up to find the output page count. Cells left over on the last page stay empty.
- Paper size
- A4 (default), Letter, Legal, A3 or A5. This sets the size of one cell: the output page is columns × cell width wide and rows × cell height tall. In portrait, a cell measures 595 × 842 pt for A4, 612 × 792 pt for Letter, 612 × 1008 pt for Legal, 842 × 1191 pt for A3 and 420 × 595 pt for A5. Pages are scaled proportionally to fit their cell. Pick a size with similar proportions to your pages to use the space well. A4, A3 and A5 have nearly the same aspect ratio, with different cell dimensions.
- Orientation
- Portrait (default) or Landscape turns every cell. A page whose orientation does not match the cell is rotated by 90° so it uses the cell's space. Choose Landscape for slides and landscape scans, Portrait for regular documents.
- Layout order
- Row down (default) fills each row from left to right, then moves down. Down row fills each column from top to bottom, then moves right. Left down fills each row from right to left. Down left fills each column from top to bottom, starting with the right-hand column. The right-to-left orders suit material read from right to left, such as Arabic or Hebrew documents and manga.
- Margin (pt)
- Space between each page and the edge of its cell, in points (1 pt = 1/72 in, about 0.35 mm). Accepts 0 pt or more; the input arrows move in steps of 0.5 pt, and the server uses two decimal places. Leave the field empty for the default of 3 pt, or enter
0to use the full cell. A value of4.5means 4.5 pt. Keep the margin well below half the shorter cell dimension so there is room for the page content. - Pages (optional)
- Single pages and ranges separated by commas, for example
1-3,5; spaces are ignored. Pages always appear in document order and each page once, so5,1,3places pages 1, 3 and 5. For a custom sequence, rearrange the PDF with Reorder PDF Pages first. Ranges must run from low to high, with both endpoints present.
Why a grid page is larger than your paper size
This tool keeps every page at the cell size you select and builds a larger page around the cells. N-up PDF works the other way round: the sheet keeps the chosen paper size and 2 to 16 pages shrink to fit on it. Use the grid for free row and column counts and pages you can zoom into; use N-up when the result has to print on standard paper.
An example with real numbers: a 30-page A4 report with Rows 3, Columns 4 and A4 Portrait cells. Each output page holds 12 pages and measures 4 × 595 = 2,380 pt by 3 × 842 = 2,526 pt, about 84 × 89 cm. The result has 3 pages; the last one shows pages 25 to 30 and six empty cells.
Pages are reused without converting the whole page to an image. Existing vector graphics remain vector graphics, searchable text remains text, and scans retain their image pixels. The document title and author are kept. A thin line frames each cell.
Large row and column counts create large PDF pages. Check the dimensions you need for the next step before choosing the grid. For a printable handout, compare the result at its final print size: fitting a large grid onto A4 makes every source page smaller.
Formats and limits
- Input format
- Output format
- One PDF with up to rows × columns source pages on each page
- Output page size
- Columns × cell width by rows × cell height
- Maximum file size
- 200 MB
- Files per job
- 1 PDF
- Processing
- On our servers with the PDF library pdfcpu. A job can run for up to 15 minutes. No external or AI service is involved.
- Watermark
- None; only a thin line frames each cell
- Storage
- Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 48 hours for guests and after 30 days for free accounts. Paid plans can keep files longer.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the output page so much larger than A4?
Paper size sets the size of each cell. A 2 × 2 grid of A4 portrait cells is twice as wide and twice as tall as A4: 1,190 × 1,684 pt. To print it on one standard sheet, scale the result down with Fit to paper size in Resize PDF, or use N-up PDF.
Why are some pages turned sideways?
Their orientation differs from the cells, so they are rotated by 90° to fill the space. Set Orientation to match most of your pages; in a document that mixes both, the minority appears sideways.
Does the grid reduce quality?
The tool reuses the page content without converting whole pages to images. Existing text and vector graphics keep their detail; scans and photographs keep their original pixels. A large grid can still become hard to read when scaled down onto one printed sheet. Inspect the preview at the size you plan to use.
Can I choose the order of the pages?
Layout order sets the direction in which cells are filled, but the pages themselves always keep their document order. For a custom sequence, reorder the PDF first and create the grid from that result, which is already in Uploads.
Can I use a password-protected PDF?
If the PDF asks for a password when you open it, remove the password with Unlock PDF first. PDFs that open without a password but restrict printing or editing work, and the grid PDF keeps those restrictions.