Common reasons to resize PDF pages
- Letter to A4: documents from the US and Canada use Letter. Most of the world prints on A4, and some upload portals ask for A4 pages.
- A4 to Letter: the same problem in reverse when you send papers to a US school or office.
- Mixed sizes: a file built from scans, receipts and exported slides gets one consistent size before printing.
- Posters and handouts: make an A3 or Tabloid version of a page for a notice board, or an A5 version for a small leaflet.
- US legal paper: some forms and filings need the longer Legal size.
Paper sizes at a glance
| Size | Millimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 210 x 297 | 8.3 x 11.7 |
| US Letter | 216 x 279 | 8.5 x 11 |
| Legal | 216 x 356 | 8.5 x 14 |
| A3 | 297 x 420 | 11.7 x 16.5 |
| A5 | 148 x 210 | 5.8 x 8.3 |
| Tabloid | 279 x 432 | 11 x 17 |
A4 is a little narrower and taller than Letter. Going from Letter to A4 with no margin, the content shrinks by about 3% and thin white bands appear above and below. Going from A4 to Letter, it shrinks by about 6% with bands at the sides.
Page size is not file size
Many people search for a way to resize a PDF when they want a smaller file for an email or upload form. This tool changes the paper dimensions, not the number of megabytes. To reduce the file size, use Compress PDF.
To cut away white margins instead of changing the paper, try Crop PDF. Clickable links and fillable form fields are not carried over to the resized pages. If a form is already filled in, make the answers part of the page with Flatten PDF first, then resize.