Error when Exporting big size PDF-file from InDesign and checking the size in Acrobat

[Leif1960]

In connection with a customer assignment, I ran into a strange problem when checking PDF files in Acrobat exported from Indesign:

The customer created a banner layout in Indesign with the dimensions 5220 x 1500 mm, which can easily be done in Indesign. It was exported to a PDF file with the correct settings.

When I received the PDF file, I could see when checking the file in Acrobat that the dimensions did not fit and the graphics seemed to be cropped on the right side. At first I thought the customer had made a mistake, so it was corrected (with some surprise from the customer) and sent again. Same problem...

Therefore, I tested myself and created a new layout with the same correct dimensions and exported it as PDF - with the same result as the customer's. It turns out that the dimensions of the banner can be set up in InDesign just fine, but it apparently exceeds a maximum dimension in Acrobat, which obviously does not match the maximum dimension in Indesign. The result is that an error occurs and the motif is cropped on the right side.

I have never experienced this in Adobe programs before.

I believe that the maximum dimensions should be the same across programs – maybe it is a bug.

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Hope you are doing well and thanks for sharing the details.

This behavior is related to a technical limitation in Acrobat and PDF specifications. While InDesign allows creating layouts up to 5486 × 5486 mm, Acrobat (and the PDF format itself) has a maximum page size limit of 200 × 200 inches (5080 × 5080 mm).

When a file exported from InDesign exceeds Acrobat’s supported maximum size, Acrobat will still open it, but the content may appear cropped or shifted — as you’ve seen on the right side of your banner. This is why the dimensions look correct in InDesign but are cut off when viewed in Acrobat.

Workarounds:

• Reduce the banner dimensions to within Acrobat’s maximum supported size before exporting.
• Export the file in a format that supports larger dimensions (e.g., TIFF, JPEG, or scaled-down PDF for review purposes, with actual-size file kept for print).

Hope this information will help 

~Amal

[MikelKlink]

Hi Amal,

Acrobat (and the PDF format itself) has a maximum page size limit of 200 × 200 inches (5080 × 5080 mm).

Actually the PDF format does not have such a hard limit.

Yes, ISO 32000-1 says

The minimum page size should be 3 by 3 units in default user space; the maximum should be 14,400 by 14,400 units. In versions of PDF earlier than 1.6, the size of the default user space unit was fixed at 1⁄72 inch, yielding a minimum of approximately 0.04 by 0.04 inch and a maximum of 200 by 200 inches. Beginning with PDF 1.6, the size of the unit may be set on a page-by-page basis; the default remains at 1/72 inch.

But on one hand this merely is a recommendation ("should", not "shall") and on the other hand it presents a work-around beginning with PDF 1.6: Changing the size of the default user space unit.

Furthermore, the current ISO 32000-2 does not contain the quoted recommendation anymore.

[Amal. · Accepted solution]

Hi there 

You are correct — the commonly mentioned 200 × 200 inches limit is not a strict technical restriction of the PDF format itself, but rather a practical limit tied to earlier PDF versions.

Here’s a quick breakdown for clarity:

In PDF versions prior to 1.6, the user space unit was fixed at 1/72 inch, which translated into a maximum of 200 × 200 inches. That’s why this number is still often cited.

Starting with PDF 1.6, the specification allowed changing the user space unit on a page-by-page basis, which in practice makes much larger page sizes possible.

The current specification (ISO 32000-2) no longer includes the earlier recommendation, so the effective page size limit depends on the PDF version and, just as importantly, the application used to create or render the PDF.

So while the PDF standard itself doesn’t impose a hard 200-inch limit anymore, some software (including Acrobat) may still enforce it in practice for compatibility and performance reasons.

If you’re working with oversized pages, keep in mind that support can vary by viewer and printer. Even if the PDF standard allows larger dimensions, some applications may not display or handle them correctly.

~Amal