How to prepare a PDF for printing: paper size, margins and saving paper

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Published November 3, 2026

A document that looks fine on screen can print with its edges cut off, with tiny text in the middle of the sheet or on twice as much paper as it needs. Most of these problems come from a mismatch between the page size of the file and the paper in the printer.

Know your paper

Most of the world uses A4. The United States and Canada use Letter and Legal, and A3 and A5 are common for posters and booklets. If a file made for Letter goes to an A4 printer, either the printer scales it or the edges are cut. Decide the paper first, then fit the file to it.

Choose a scaling mode

Print preparation offers four modes. Shrink to fit only reduces pages that are too large and leaves smaller ones alone. Fit to page scales every page to the paper. Actual size keeps the original dimensions, and custom percent lets you choose. For most office documents, shrink to fit is the safest.

Set a margin

Many office printers cannot print right up to the edge. A margin of 5 to 10 millimetres is a safe choice for documents that will be hole-punched or stapled, and a little more helps. Check one sheet before you print the rest.

Save paper

Choose two pages per sheet for drafts and reading copies, and print only the page range you need. Remove empty pages with Remove blank pages from PDF and unwanted pages with Delete pages. A scan that came out sideways can be fixed with Rotate PDF.

Photos and scans

The tool also accepts JPG and PNG files, up to 30 files at once, so a set of photographed pages can be turned into one print-ready document. For better source scans, use Document scanner first.

Print one test page

Before you print thirty pages, print the first one. It takes a minute and shows whether the margins, the text size and the orientation are right.

Open Print preparation