How to Resize a Letter-Size PDF to Legal Size in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
The user needs to enlarge an existing letter-size PDF to legal size or create a new blank legal-size PDF.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- Windows 7
- Scenario
- Enlarging a document, such as a menu, for physical printing or digital distribution on legal-size paper.
- Observed behavior
- The current document is letter-size, and the user wants the final output to be perfectly scaled and formatted for legal-size paper.
Ensure you have Adobe Acrobat Pro DC installed and verify that you have a virtual PDF printer enabled (such as 'Adobe PDF') if you plan to save the resized document as a new file rather than printing it physically.
Resize the PDF Using the Print Dialog
Use Acrobat's print scaling features to scale your letter-size PDF to fit a legal-size page and save it using a virtual PDF printer.
The most reliable way to resize an existing document while preserving its aspect ratio and layout is to use the 'Scale to Fit' feature within the Print dialog. This method effectively enlarges the content to fill a legal-size page without modifying the original source file.
Open your letter-size PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, click on 'File' in the top menu, and select 'Print'.
In the Printer dropdown menu, select 'Adobe PDF' to generate a new file, or choose a physical printer if you want an immediate hard copy.
Click the 'Properties' or 'Page Setup' button in the print dialog. Locate the paper size settings and change the selection from Letter to 'Legal' (8.5 x 14 inches), then click OK.
Under the 'Page Sizing & Handling' section of the main print dialog, select the 'Fit' or 'Scale to Fit' radio button. Notice in the print preview that the document is now enlarged to fill the legal-size canvas.
Click the 'Print' button. If you selected the Adobe PDF virtual printer, you will be prompted to choose a destination folder to save your newly resized legal-size PDF.
Create a New Blank Legal-Size PDF
Start from scratch by generating a new blank document formatted specifically for legal size.
Easily Resize and Print PDFs with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a comprehensive PDF editor that allows you to easily adjust page sizes, scale documents for printing, and create new PDFs in any size, including Legal.
- 1. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your letter-size PDF document in the built-in WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Access the Print Menu: Click on the Menu icon in the top-left corner and select 'Print', or simply use the shortcut Ctrl+P.
- 3. Set Paper Size to Legal: In the Print dialog, click on 'Page Setup' or select the paper size dropdown directly, and choose 'Legal'.
- 4. Scale to Fit and Export: Select the 'Fit for printing margins' or 'Custom scale' option to enlarge the document. Then, choose the WPS PDF printer from the printer list and click 'Print' to save it as a new legal-size PDF file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the actual page dimensions of an existing PDF without using a virtual printer?
Yes, you can use the 'Crop Pages' or 'Set Page Boxes' tool in Adobe Acrobat Pro to adjust the media box size manually. However, scaling the existing content proportionally to fit the new larger page usually requires the print-to-PDF method or utilizing Acrobat's preflight fixups.
What are the exact dimensions of legal-size paper?
Legal-size paper measures 8.5 inches by 14 inches (216 x 356 mm). It is exactly the same width as standard letter-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches) but is 3 inches longer.
Why does my text look pixelated when I enlarge the PDF to legal size?
If your PDF contains raster images or low-resolution scanned text, enlarging the document can stretch these elements and cause pixelation. Vector-based text and graphics, which are typical in documents converted directly from Word processors, will scale smoothly without losing any visual quality.
Does WPS Office support creating legal-size PDFs natively?
Absolutely. You can create a legal-size document directly in WPS Writer by navigating to Page Layout > Size > Legal, and then simply export it as a perfectly formatted legal-size PDF using the 'Export to PDF' feature.
