How to Fix Acrobat Reader Printing Legal PDFs on Letter Paper
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where legal-size PDF documents are incorrectly printing on letter-size paper following a recent software update.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a legal-size PDF document to a physical printer.
- Observed behavior
- The printer outputs the legal-size PDF on letter-size paper, even though the printer is equipped with the correct trays and has the proper paper size settings configured.
Ensure your printer is actually loaded with legal-size paper and that the physical paper tray guides are correctly adjusted to fit the 8.5 x 14 inch dimensions.
Update Acrobat Reader and Enable PDF Page Size Printing
Adobe released a specific fix for this bug in version 21.001.20138. Updating the software and checking the paper source setting will resolve the issue.
A known bug in an older continuous release of Acrobat Reader caused print jobs to default to letter-size paper regardless of the document's actual dimensions. Updating to the patched version is the most effective fix.
Open Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click on 'Help' in the top menu bar and select 'Check for Updates' from the dropdown menu.
Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install version 21.001.20138 or later. Once the installation is complete, restart the Acrobat Reader application.
Open your legal-size PDF document, go to 'File', and select 'Print' to open the Print dialog box.
In the Page Handling or Page Sizing section, check the box for 'Choose paper source by PDF page size', then click 'Print'.
Verify Printer Driver and Tray Settings
If the software update does not work, ensure your computer's printer driver recognizes the legal paper tray configuration.
Print Legal-Size PDFs Perfectly Using WPS Office
If Acrobat Reader continues to give you scaling or tray issues, WPS Office offers a powerful, free PDF reader and editor that seamlessly handles custom page sizes and ensures your legal documents print exactly as intended.
- 1. Open your PDF in WPS Office: Download and launch WPS Office, then open your legal-size PDF document within the application.
- 2. Access the Print Menu: Click the 'Print' icon in the top toolbar or press Ctrl+P to open the comprehensive Print dialog box.
- 3. Configure Paper Settings: In the print settings, check the option 'Use PDF page size to select paper source' to ensure automatic tray selection.
- 4. Print the Document: Verify that the preview window displays the correct legal proportions, then click the 'Print' button to send the job to your printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my PDFs printing smaller than the actual size?
This usually happens if the 'Fit to Printable Area' or 'Shrink Oversized Pages' option is selected in the print dialog. To fix this, change the page scaling setting to 'Actual Size' or set the 'Custom Scale' to 100%.
How do I force my printer to use the legal paper tray?
In the print dialog, open the 'Properties' or 'Preferences' menu for your specific printer. Look for the 'Paper Source' or 'Tray Selection' setting and manually select the tray that contains legal-size paper instead of leaving it on 'Auto Select'.
What are the exact dimensions of standard legal-size paper?
Standard legal-size paper measures 8.5 by 14 inches (216 x 356 mm), which is exactly 3 inches longer than standard letter-size paper (8.5 by 11 inches). Ensure your document properties match these dimensions before printing.
Does WPS Office support printing legal-size PDFs?
Yes, WPS Office fully supports viewing, editing, and printing legal-size PDFs. You can easily set the paper size to Legal in the print settings or use the auto-detect feature to ensure accurate, true-to-size output.
