When a PDF Prints Cut Off or Too Small: Adjusting the Margins

Published: Oct 19, 2026 | Updated: Oct 19, 2026 | About (Japanese)

Key points

Identify the printing problem
Trim margins to enlarge the content
Fit it to the paper in the print settings

When you print a PDF, the content can come out small or leave large margins. Most often the cause is the PDF's own margins and the scaling in the print settings.

Symptoms and fixes

Content prints small: the PDF has large margins, or the print setting is set to shrink. Trim the margins with Crop PDF Margins and set printing to "Actual size".
The edges are cut off: printers have a margin they cannot print on (usually a few mm). For a PDF whose content reaches the edge, choose "Fit to paper" in the print settings.
Pages differ in size: use "Same area on every page" to make them match.

Steps

Choose the PDF in Crop PDF Margins.
Choose "Trim margins automatically" or "Same area on every page".
Set "Margin to keep" to "Small (3 mm)" or "Larger (8 mm)". "Larger" is safer for printers that cut off edges.
Print the saved PDF.

Print setting tips

Match the paper size, such as A4, to the real paper.
Choose "Fit to paper" or "Actual size" for scaling.
Print one test page before the whole thing to waste less paper.

When you want several pages on one sheet

To put several pages on one sheet of paper, use Combine PDF Pages onto One Sheet.

Use "Crop PDF Margins" (free)

Tools that go well with this

Rotate & Reorder PDF Pages: Fix sideways pages, change the page order, or remove pages.
Compress PDF: Shrink a PDF to fit under a size you choose, for upload limits.
Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.

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