Why a PDF prints too small or gets cut off, and how to fix it
Big white margins, text chopped at the edges, or a page shrunk into the middle of the sheet. What causes each printing problem and how to fix it.
Published
Tools for this job: PDF Page Size Converter · Crop PDF Margins · Multiple PDF Pages Per Sheet
The PDF looks perfect on screen. On paper, the text is tiny with wide white borders, or the bottom line is missing, or the right edge is cut off. Nearly every case comes down to one of three things: the paper size, the scaling setting, or white space built into the PDF itself.
Diagnose the problem
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom lines missing on A4 | Letter or Legal PDF, actual size | Fit to page, or convert |
| Sides cut off on Letter | A4 PDF, actual size | Fit to page, or convert |
| Page shrunk with big borders | Scaling, or white space in the PDF | Actual size, or crop margins |
| Edge text clipped slightly | Printer's unprintable edge | Fit to printable area |
Paper size mismatches
A4 (210 × 297 mm) is narrower and taller than US Letter (8.5 × 11 in, 216 × 279 mm). Print a Letter PDF at actual size on A4 and the bottom is cut; print an A4 PDF on Letter and the sides and bottom are tight. Legal paper is taller again. The full comparison is in A4 vs Letter paper sizes.
The quick fix is the print dialog: choose “Fit”, “Shrink oversized pages” or “Fit to printable area”. The lasting fix is to convert the file, so it prints correctly for anyone: open the PDF Page Size Converter, choose the new paper size and pick Scale to fit. Use Keep content size if you only want the paper changed and the content to stay exactly as large as it was.
White space built into the PDF
Scans often include the scanner glass around the paper, and documents exported from slides or spreadsheets can have large built-in margins. Fitting such a page to paper leaves the content small in the middle. Trim the white space with Crop PDF Margins, using the same margin on every side or different values for each edge, then print with Fit. The content now fills the sheet.
The printer's own margin
Most office and home printers cannot print right to the edge; a few millimetres around the sheet stay blank. A PDF designed edge to edge, such as a flyer, loses that strip at actual size. Choose “Fit to printable area” to shrink it slightly, or accept a thin white border. Borderless photo printing is a separate printer setting and only works on some paper types.
Printing slides or small pages
Presentation PDFs printed one slide per sheet waste paper and still look small. Put several on each sheet with Multiple PDF Pages Per Sheet; two or four per sheet are readable for most slides. See printing multiple pages on one sheet for which layouts stay legible.
Check before printing a long document
- Print one page first, ideally the one with the most text near the edges.
- Check the printer's paper tray setting matches the paper actually loaded.
- Look for “Auto rotate and centre”, which helps when pages mix portrait and landscape.