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How Do I Reduce Margins in PDF?

Published in PDF Editing 3 mins read

You can reduce margins in a PDF document by adjusting the whitespace around the content using various PDF editing tools. One common method involves modifying the "Add Margins and Padding" settings.

Here's a breakdown of how to reduce PDF margins:

Methods for Reducing PDF Margins

Generally, you'll be using a PDF editor, either online or as a desktop application. The exact steps may vary depending on the software, but the underlying principles are similar.

  1. Using PDF Editing Software:

    • Open your PDF in a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat, PDFelement, Smallpdf, or similar.

    • Look for options like "Edit PDF," "Crop," "Adjust Margins," or "Page Setup."

    • If you find an option like "Add Margins and Padding," select it. This feature is often used inversely to reduce existing margins.

    • You will typically see input fields for "Top," "Bottom," "Left," and "Right" margins. Enter smaller values in these fields than the current margins. You may even be able to enter "0" to eliminate the margin completely on a given side.

    • A preview should be available to show you the resulting page layout after the margin reduction.

    • Apply the changes and save the modified PDF.

  2. Cropping the PDF:

  • This method physically cuts off parts of the page, effectively reducing the margins.
  • In your PDF editor, find the "Crop" tool.
  • Drag a rectangle around the area you want to keep, excluding the unwanted margin space.
  • Apply the crop to all pages or a selected range.
  • Save the cropped PDF.

  1. Printing to PDF with Custom Scaling (Less Precise):

    • Open the PDF.
    • Choose "Print" and select "Microsoft Print to PDF" (or a similar PDF printer) as your printer.
    • Look for scaling options like "Fit to Printable Area" or "Custom Scale." Experiment with reducing the scale (e.g., 95%, 90%) to make the content larger and reduce the perceived margins. This isn't a true margin reduction, but it visually achieves a similar effect.
    • Print to PDF.

Considerations:

  • Content Overlap: Be careful not to reduce the margins so much that you cut off important content.
  • Page Size: Reducing margins doesn't change the physical page size (e.g., letter, A4). It simply changes the printable area.
  • Consistency: Ensure that the margin reduction is applied consistently across all pages of the PDF for a professional look.

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