How to change pdf page size using Acrobat DC

[iana2776730]

Easy way to change pdf document page size from US Letter to A4

[jonathanp73212714]

I got a dialog box that said "Page size may not be reduced" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[gkaiseril]

Most likely you will cut some content in changing the page size. Unlike Word PDFs do not reflow their content on the changing of page sizes.

[Bernd Alheit]

In Acrobat DC Pro you can use the Preflight tool to change the page size.

[The_Turtle_Is_Here]

No such thing in the 2019 version

[Simon28757540ofrs]

As of 2023 this doesn't work. Nothing happens when 'OK' is clicked.

[Karl Heinz Kremer · Accepted solution]

Here is infornation about how to use Preflight in Acrobat DC Pro to scale pages: Scaling Page Content in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC - KHKonsulting LLC

To use the crop tool, you need to use two steps: you have to enlarge the page first and the crop it down to the target size. The problem is that Letter is wider, but shorter than A4, the change page size only works if both new sided are at least the original size, in this case, one side would be smaller. In the first step, you size the pages to the height of an A4 page and the width of a letter page, and in the second step you crop the page to the target A4 size.

[pnoyes]

I have a similar problem.

I'm using Acrobat Pro XI in Win 10.  I started with double pages in one PDF file.  As I cropped them into single pages I saved them in separate files.  Then I combined them into one file, figuring I would put the pages in their proper order in the thumbnail column.  Everything looked fine in the thumbnail column but in the editing column some of the pages were much smaller than the others.  I fooled around in the crop mode but nothing stayed the way it should.  When I enlarged the page to 8.5"x11" the text stayed the same smaller size.  I closed the file and reopened it later and all the pages were aligned in the same size, with the text filling the page they way it was originally.  Don't know why but I'll take it.  So I attached the file to an email and sent it.  The recipient said the pages were all different sizes.  I opened the file again and there was the same problem; pages of different sizes.

I'm out of solutions.    Any thoughts?

[JEL888]

Thanks!  The preflight is what works best.  Please note that you may have to add the "Print Production" tool to your menu so follow the instructions Karl gives in the link.  AA DC (at least via Mac) doesn't allow to Print to Acrobat PDF or any PDF via the Print function.

[Bernd Alheit]

Why does you post this bad advice?

[Clear Concise]

Because that's easier than using Acrobat.

Which tells us there is a problem with the program, because it should only need one screen and one drop-down box. From memory, it used to be like this in version 8 or 9.

[DavidCastello]

Ok, I work in AEC and this was always an issue. I finally found a good way to rescale large-format sheets  (i.e. Arch D) to say, 11x17.

1. Open the subject file that you wish to reduce in size.

2. Go to 'Print' the page and select Adobe PDF.

3. Deselect "Choose paper source by PDF page asize"

4. Go to 'Page Setup' and select the size you wish to reduce the sheet to. For me it is usually always to 11x17 or 12x18. Select orientation as required.

5. Use the 'Fit' option in Page Sizing & Handling or other scaling means to get the size you want. I have to use custom scale often to maintain proportions of scaled plans, but that's just me.

6. Select Print, and oyu will be prompted to the save dialog box. Save your file and it should be at the new size you specified.

Hope this helps!

David Castello

Associate AIA

[Bernd Alheit]

Printing to Adobe PDF is a bad idea.

[Alejandro264154306q7b]

Why is it a bad idea?

[denise_O_o · Accepted solution]

I'm never sure why Adobe never tells you how to do this since it's right in the application. Use the Print Production tool. Click that, then click Preflight. Under the Profiles tab, be sure you're toggled to Pages. Now here's the trick - you'll see 3 little icons next to the Show All tab. Click the Wrench!! Scroll down and you'll see "Scale pages to specified size (Scales all pages of the PDF proportionally to entered value (fit from the inside and add white space)." 
Click on the Edit flag. In the fixup category you should be on Pages, Type of Fixup is Scale pages.
Choose the short edge and put in the new size you want. For example, if you're scaling from 34x22 down to 17x11, the short edge is 11, the long edge is 17. Apply to all pages. Or conversely, I was scaling UP 10x5.63 to 17x11. Short edge is 11, long edge is 17. For the adjustment I chose Fit from inside. It took my art and scaled it up from the center to fill the new 17" completely, on the short side it filled the top and bottom with white.

If I were scaling from the 34x22 to 17x11, I would adjust it to "Fit from outside (scale page edges proportionally). It would essentially scale the file at 50%.
Once you find this and work with it, you'll never have to rebuild a file again (as long as you're ok with some white space on a side that can't fill proportionally.

[denise_O_o]

Oops. Forgot to say, to run this after entering your number, click the little Fix wrench in the lower right corner.

You may need to experiment a bit to get exactly what you want, but it's well worth it.

[Shadia5EDA]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! this was quite a frustrating process but your instructions worked to the T.  How can I make this answer go to the top? 

[denise_O_o]

You are most welcome! I'm always surprised this isn't used more. So much easier than rebuilding the file (in InDesign where it was made, for example) and scaling it all up manually, which is just ridiculous. Happy it worked for you.

[The_Turtle_Is_Here]

No such thing in version 2019. 

This is history you are preaching from an old version.

New version cannot do it easily at all.

[Bernd Alheit]

It is possible in the Pro edition.

[dmoore.personal]

I'm using the latest Acrobat Pro DC. There does not appear to be a "Scale pages to specified size" option in Preflight under Pages. Under Pages I see:

• Auto-correct nesting of page geometry boxes
• Convert page content to CMYK...
• Conver page content into RGB...
• Remove page objects...
• Substitute characters...

Any help would be appreciated.

[Bernd Alheit]

You can create your own fixup.

[dmoore.personal]

Thanks, that worked.

For anyone like me who is new to this here are the steps I used to create the Fixup

1. Go to the Print Production tool
2. Select Preflight
3. Click the wrench tool
4. Select options (dropdown upper right) and choose "Create Fixup"
5. Type "scale" in the Type of Fixup and select "Scale pages"
6. Choose how you want to scale the pages - I changed the "Unit" from percent to "Inch" and did 8.5 for the short edge and 11 for the long edge

This worked well but it disabled the internal links in my table of contents. Small issue compared to the scaling though so I'll take it.

[abbyf10307956]

YES!  Now 2022 (heaven help us) and still valuable advice.  IT WORKED on a PDF I had that was set on legal-size that I needed to convert to letter-size.  One suggestion - create a new variable and save it using the name "Scale to Letter Size" and THEN make it a Favorite.....helps you find it.  THANK YOU.  Why Adobe doesn't make this a prominent feature (I had to add the Print Production tool to my tool list) is beyond me.  THANK YOU again.

[Courtney26009549qklp]

OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH

[Jennifer274938579d2n]

You are amazing! I have been struggling with this every quarter when I publish a newsletter and import pages from contributors. Thank you so much for finally giving directions that work and don't revert back to previous sizes when sending or reopending the pdf!