How to Use More Printable Space When Printing a PDF
Question details
The user wants to reduce large margins and utilize more printable space when printing cropped PDFs or printing two pages per sheet.
- Product
- PDF Printer
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document, especially when using 'multiple pages per sheet' or printing previously cropped pages.
- Observed behavior
- The print preview and output show large, unequal margins because standard PDF printing preserves the original page proportions, preventing the content from stretching to fill the paper.
Check your printer's physical hardware margins, as most printers require a minimum non-printable boundary (often around 0.25 inches) to grip the paper during printing.
Adjust Page Sizing and Handling Options
Use custom scale settings to expand the document to the edges of your printer's maximum printable area.
Standard 'Fit' options shrink or expand the page while maintaining its original aspect ratio. To get closer to the edges and reduce blank margins, you can manually increase the scale percentage.
Open your PDF document and press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to open the print settings.
Locate the 'Page Sizing & Handling' section and select 'Custom Scale' instead of 'Fit' or 'Shrink oversized pages'.
Gradually increase the percentage (e.g., to 105% or 110%) while watching the print preview until the content reaches the printable edge.
Match PDF Aspect Ratio to Paper Size
Adjust your PDF's page dimensions before printing to match the exact proportions of your physical paper.
Maximize PDF Printable Area with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a comprehensive, built-in PDF tool that makes managing margins, cropping, and custom print scaling completely effortless. Whether you are printing multiple pages per sheet or adjusting custom dimensions, you can perfectly align your documents before hitting print.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document.
- 2. Open Print Menu: Click the Print icon on the toolbar or press Ctrl + P to access advanced print settings.
- 3. Adjust Sizing: Under 'Page Sizing', choose 'Custom Scale' or select 'Use physical paper size' to bypass default margins.
- 4. Print Document: Verify the layout in the real-time preview window, then click 'Print'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the 'Fit' option still leave unequal margins?
The 'Fit' option maintains the document's original aspect ratio to prevent stretching. If your PDF's dimensions differ from your physical paper's proportions, the software adds blank margins to fill the difference.
Can I stretch a PDF to completely fill the paper?
Yes, some print workflows allow non-proportional scaling (stretching). However, this forces the PDF to match the paper's dimensions by distorting the text and images, making them look unusually wide or tall.
Why do cropped PDF pages still print with large margins?
Cropping a PDF often just hides the outer areas of the page rather than permanently deleting them. When printing, the software may still read the original page boundaries. To fix this, you can use the 'Print to PDF' feature to save the cropped version as a new file with permanently adjusted dimensions before sending it to your physical printer.
