Resize PDF Pages for Print or Screen
How to change the print size of PDF pages
Change PDF page size to A4, Letter or Legal, or scale pages by a percentage. Apply the change to selected pages and inspect the result before printing. This adjusts the page layout rather than targeting a smaller download size. Use Compress PDF when the main problem is an attachment limit, and Crop PDF when only the margins need adjustment.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to resize PDF pages
Add one PDF
Click Choose PDF or drop the file onto the preview area. PDFs you already used in other tools on this site are listed under Uploads, so you can pick them without uploading again. One PDF of up to 200 MB is resized per job.
Pick a resize mode
Under Resize mode, choose Scale pages to make the pages a set amount larger or smaller, or Fit to paper size to put them on a standard sheet such as A4 or Letter.
Set the new size
Enter a Scale factor, or choose a Paper size and an Orientation. Only the fields of the selected mode are shown.
Limit it to some pages if needed
Type page numbers or ranges into Pages (optional). Leave the field empty to resize the whole document.
Resize, check and download
Click Resize PDF. When the job is done, the preview shows the resized file so you can check the margins before you print. Then click Download resized PDF. The result also appears in Uploads for the next PDF tool.
Settings explained
- Resize mode
- Scale pages is selected by default. It multiplies the width and height of each page by the same factor, so the proportions stay as they are. Fit to paper size gives the pages an exact standard size. Use it when a printer, print shop or upload portal expects A4 or Letter.
- Scale factor
- Accepts factors from
0.1to10and starts at1, the original size. The input arrows change the factor in steps of0.1; you can also type a value, and the server uses up to three decimal places. Values below 1 shrink the pages, values above 1 enlarge them:0.5halves both sides and leaves a quarter of the page area, while2doubles both sides. Factors0.707and1.414approximate the change between neighbouring A sizes. - Paper size
- Choose A4 (210 × 297 mm), Letter (8.5 × 11 in), Legal (8.5 × 14 in), A3 (297 × 420 mm) or A5 (148 × 210 mm). A4 is the default. The page content is scaled up or down until it fits the sheet and is then centred. It is never stretched or cut off, so blank bands appear where the proportions differ.
- Orientation
- Portrait (default) or Landscape. It sets which way the sheet is turned for every selected page. Pages with the other shape are rotated by 90° to fit. Choose Landscape for slides, spreadsheets and wide drawings.
- Pages (optional)
- Leave it empty to resize every page, or enter single pages and ranges such as
1-3,5. Each range needs a first and a last page, for example5-12. Pages you don't list keep their original size and stay in place, which helps when one inserted Letter page has to match an A4 report.
What resizing changes inside the PDF
Resizing changes the page geometry. The tool sets a new page size and scales the content with it. Text drawn as text, lines and vector graphics remain vector content. Embedded photos and scans keep their existing pixels. A smaller printed page does not necessarily mean a smaller file in MB, because the PDF still contains those images and other document data.
Embedded photos and scans keep their pixel count, so their print resolution changes with the page. A 1,200 px wide photo that spans an 8-inch-wide page prints at 150 ppi. With a Scale factor of 2, the page is 16 inches wide and the same photo drops to 75 ppi. As a rule of thumb, around 300 ppi looks sharp in a hand-held print; posters viewed from a distance get by with much less.
Example: Letter to A4 and back
PDF page sizes are measured in points, and 72 pt equal 1 inch (25.4 mm). A US Letter page measures 612 × 792 pt, an A4 page 595 × 842 pt. With Fit to paper size, A4 and Portrait, the width is the tighter side, so the content is scaled to 97.2% (595 ÷ 612). It is then 770 pt tall, which leaves a blank band of 36 pt (12.7 mm) at the top and at the bottom.
The other way round, from A4 to Letter, the height is the tighter side. The content is scaled to 94.1% (792 ÷ 842), and a band of about 26 pt (9.2 mm) remains on the left and on the right. Body text set at 11 pt then prints at about 10.3 pt.
A-series paper sizes have nearly the same proportions, so fitting between them leaves little or no visible blank space. A Scale factor of 0.707 turns A4 into 420.7 × 595.3 pt, close to A5 (420 × 595 pt), and 1.414 makes it close to A3. Use Fit to paper size with A5 or A3 when you need the named paper format rather than an approximate size.
Formats and limits
- Input format
- Output format
- One PDF with the same pages in the same order
- Maximum file size
- 200 MB
- Files per job
- 1 PDF
- Password-protected PDFs
- PDFs that ask for a password when opened must be unlocked first, for example with Unlock PDF. PDFs that only restrict editing or printing can be resized and keep their protection.
- Document properties
- Title and author are kept; the Producer entry and the modification date are updated.
- Processing
- On our servers with the pdfcpu PDF library. A job can run for up to 15 minutes. No external or AI service is involved.
- Watermark
- None
- 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
Does resizing make my PDF file smaller?
Resizing changes the page dimensions and scales the content; it is not a file compression setting. Images keep their pixels, so halving a page with a Scale factor of 0.5 does not halve the file size. The resulting size can differ when the PDF is rewritten. To reduce the size in MB, use Compress PDF.
How is this different from "Fit to page" in the print dialog?
Print-dialog scaling affects that print job. Resizing stores the new page size in the PDF itself, so you can send the resized file to a print shop or reuse it later. When printing, select the matching paper size and check the print preview. Use 100% scale when you want the dimensions stored in the PDF.
Why are there white bands around my pages?
The source page and the new sheet have different proportions. Fit to paper size keeps the proportions of your content and centres it on the sheet. Letter content on portrait A4, for example, gets a 12.7 mm band at the top and bottom. Between A sizes, such as A4 to A3 or A5, there is little or no visible blank space.
What is the difference between resizing and cropping?
Resizing scales the whole page, content included. Crop PDF keeps the content at its size and hides the edges of the page. Crop to remove wide empty margins; resize to change the paper format.
How do I print a page larger than my printer's paper?
Resizing to A3 still needs a printer that takes A3 paper. To print a large page on several smaller sheets, split it into tiles with PDF Poster and assemble the sheets afterwards.