How to Fix Acrobat Cutting Off Legal-Size PDF Pages When Printing
Question details
The user needs to prevent their PDF viewer from truncating the bottom of legal-size pages or converting the entire document to letter size during printing.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- Windows 10
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document that contains mixed page sizes (legal and letter) using an HP LaserJet 4100 printer.
- Observed behavior
- The print preview displays correctly, but the physical printed output either cuts off the bottom of the legal-size pages or incorrectly scales all pages to letter size.
Ensure that your printer is loaded with both legal and letter-size paper in the correct trays, and confirm that the paper guides in the tray are adjusted snugly against the paper edges.
Enable PDF Page Size Selection in Print Dialog
Adjust your print settings to automatically choose the correct printer paper tray based on the PDF's internal page dimensions.
By default, printers often pull from the main paper tray (typically letter size). If you have a mixed-size document, you must configure the print dialogue to command the printer to switch trays dynamically based on the size of each individual page.
Open the PDF in Acrobat and press Ctrl+D to access Document Properties. Check the 'Description' tab to confirm the actual page sizes are mixed (e.g., 8.5 x 11 in and 8.5 x 14 in).
Navigate to File > Print or press Ctrl+P on your keyboard to open the Print dialog box.
Under the 'Page Sizing & Handling' section, locate and check the box that says 'Choose paper source by PDF page size'.
Click 'Print' to send the document to your HP LaserJet. The printer should now automatically pull legal paper for legal-size pages and letter paper for letter-size pages without cutting off the content.
Verify Application Export Settings
Re-export the PDF from the original application if the file was improperly normalized to letter size before downloading.
Print Mixed-Size PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office
If you are struggling with complex PDF print settings, WPS Office provides an intuitive, built-in PDF reader that perfectly handles mixed page sizes, auto-scaling, and tray selection out of the box.
- 1. Open the document in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and click 'Open' to load your mixed-size PDF file.
- 2. Access the print menu: Click the 'Menu' button in the top-left corner and select 'Print', or simply use the Ctrl+P shortcut.
- 3. Enable auto paper tray selection: In the Print dialog, find the 'Page Sizing and Handling' options and check 'Auto paper tray by PDF page size'.
- 4. Execute the print job: Verify your printer is selected at the top, then click the 'Print' button to output your document flawlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my printer cut off the bottom of legal-size documents?
This happens when the printer tries to print a legal-size (14-inch long) document onto a standard letter-size (11-inch long) piece of paper. The extra 3 inches of content get truncated. You must tell the software to either shrink the page to fit or pull paper from the legal-size tray.
How do I fit a legal-size PDF onto letter paper without cutting it off?
In your Print dialog box under 'Page Sizing & Handling', select the option 'Fit' or 'Shrink oversized pages'. This scales down the content of the legal page proportionally so that it fits entirely onto an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet.
Why is 'Choose paper source by PDF page size' not working?
If this option is checked but still fails, check your printer's hardware settings. Go to Printer Properties > Device Settings and ensure the printer driver correctly recognizes which tray contains legal paper and which contains letter paper.
