How to Fix Incorrect A4 or Letter PDF Page Sizes in Microsoft Word
Question details
Users need to correct the page dimensions of PDFs generated from Microsoft Word, which incorrectly output as US Letter instead of the intended A4 size.
- Product
- Microsoft Word / PDF Printers
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing or converting a Word document to PDF using a virtual PDF printer or export add-in.
- Observed behavior
- The resulting PDF is sized as US Letter (21.59 x 27.94 cm / 8.5 x 11 inches) despite the original document properties and print settings specifying A4.
Verify that your document's native page layout is explicitly set to A4 (or your desired size) before troubleshooting the printing or export configuration.
Disable Automatic Paper Scaling in Word Options
Turning off Word's automatic scaling feature prevents the application from automatically resizing A4 documents to US Letter when printing to a PDF.
Microsoft Word includes a default feature that scales A4 documents to US Letter (and vice versa) depending on regional printing defaults. This is the most common cause of mismatched PDF dimensions.
Launch Microsoft Word, click on the 'File' menu in the top left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom of the list.
In the Word Options dialog box, click on 'Advanced' in the left pane, then scroll down until you find the 'Print' section.
Locate the checkbox labeled 'Scale content for A4 or 8.5 x 11 paper sizes' and clear (uncheck) it.
Click 'OK' to apply the changes. Try printing or saving your document to PDF again to verify the correct A4 dimensions are maintained.
Change Default Paper Size in PDF Printer Settings
Update your system's virtual PDF printer preferences to ensure A4 is selected as the default output size instead of Letter.
Use the Built-in PDFMaker Add-in or Export Function
Bypass the virtual printer entirely by using a dedicated PDF add-in or Word's native export feature, which better preserves exact document dimensions.
Easily Export Accurate A4 or Letter PDFs with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a highly accurate, built-in PDF export tool that natively preserves your exact page sizes without the need for virtual printers or complex scaling adjustments.
- 1. Open Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing document.
- 2. Verify Page Size: Navigate to the 'Page Layout' tab and ensure your 'Size' is correctly set to A4 or Letter.
- 3. Export to PDF: Click the 'Menu' button in the top left corner and select 'Export to PDF'.
- 4. Save the File: Choose your save directory, click 'Export', and enjoy a perfectly scaled PDF file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my A4 Word document saving as Letter size in PDF?
This usually occurs because Word has a default print setting enabled called 'Scale content for A4 or 8.5 x 11 paper sizes', which alters the document dimensions during the printing or PDF generation process.
What are the exact dimensions of US Letter versus A4?
US Letter size is exactly 8.5 x 11 inches (21.59 x 27.94 cm). Standard A4 size is slightly narrower and taller at 8.27 x 11.69 inches (21.0 x 29.7 cm).
Will changing the PDF printer settings affect all my applications?
Yes, if you adjust the default printing preferences for your virtual PDF printer via the Windows system settings, that default page size (e.g., A4) will be applied to all applications utilizing that specific printer.
