File to PDF alters page size

[MstrPBK2010]

I've been working on a file for my internship.  When I save the file in the parent application it saves the page dimensions correctly.   When I move it over to an Adobe PDF the page size is annihilated.  In the past this has not been a issue but then again I've not done many PDFs to be shared in the last year.  At first I thought this was due to OS transfer (PDFs going from Apple to Windows formats) but I an now seeing it is occurring within the Apple environment.

• The page size that is set in the application is custom at 10 in. x 15 in. with a .25 in. margin.  The document itself is five (5) pages in length.

     • I think Adobe is forcing the dimensions to be 8.5 x 11; but I an not 100% sure on that point as this is supposed to be strictly an electronic document.

• The parent application is FileMaker Pro.  I've used Filemaker for years.

Anyone have any ideas where the problem is occurring at?  This slightly urgent as the employer wants me take on more responsibly.

Peter Kelley

St. Paul, MN USA

[Test Screen Name]

You say the page size is messed up but you haven't said how you tell. It will seem obvious but there are many possibilities so please give details. For example: on screen it's a small part of a bigger white page. Or, it looks ok on screen but prints to fill the sheet.  Let us know the page size shown in Acrobat. Hover in the bottom left of the page And it should show you. All PDFs have a page size.

[MstrPBK2010]

When the PDF is re-opened after being saved ... the left and right edges have been trimmed. Left side by 1/4 inch and the right side by 'about' 3 inches. I have checked the settings from with in the parent software and they have been set correctly for the width that is being requested. Adobe is trimming these pages.

[Test Screen Name]

Ah, so the page size of the PDF is too small to hold the page contents. Now, I see your design is 10 x 15 inches. I assume you are working on Windows printing to the Adobe PDF printer. Let's run with that.

A printer has a page size, even when you aren't using paper. Nothing in Acrobat or a printer driver sizes pages to fit your content. You must size pages to fit your content. So use Printer Setup to choose a matching custom page size.

[try67]

Do you have Acrobat? If so, what exact version? What steps are you taking to convert your FileMaker file to a PDF?

[MstrPBK2010]

People … Let me try this again …

• I’m using; Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
• Version is: 15.020.20042
• Date of initial download was Sept. 30, 2015
• Last updated on: March 26, 2016
• The computer environment that these PDFs are being created in: OS: Apple Mac Mini
• (parent) Program: Filemaker Pro Advanced
• Documents are being e-mailed to an Windows environment
• Documents are being altered on the Apple side
• Page size being requested:  15 x 10 inches
• Page size being produced in PDF format:  11 x 8.5 (believed)
• Document length is: 5 pages.
• Produced length: trimmed 5 pages.

Are you still following me??

Process that was used (I shouldn’t have to treat you like children)

FileMaker Environment:

• I have set appropriate boundaries within the FileMake project.
• I have verified the size requirements of the page size.
• I enter menu structure:  File / Page Setup …
• I have established a new page layout to reflect the 15 x 10 inches with a margin of .25 inches.
• I return to the layout to verify that the page settings have been accepted.
• I enter menu structure: File / Print
• I select menu tab PDF / Save as PDF …
• I verify the document name and deposited location on my drive.

Initially:

• I had, with out checking the condition of the document, directly e-mailed the document  to my co-workers. and myself which is a Windows environment.
• When I opened the document at the internship I realized that it had been trimmed by the additional .25 inches to the left side and the ±3 inches on the right side.
• I made appropriate apologies during a team meeting. …
• After the meeting I spent a substantial amount of time trying to determine if the altered document had been effected on THAT side.  I concluded that I probably was not.

Upon returning home:

• I opened the produced PDF and found that the trimmed edges appeared in the original PDF that had been saved directly from the parent application.
• I went back to the parent application an rechecked the page dimensions, and concluded that they had been set correctly.

BEING THAT ADOBE OWNS Acrobat Reader and the proprietary PDF technology I turned to this forum in the hopes of finding the answer as to why this document is being trimmed on its sides.

Have I left any thing out???

Peter Kelley

St. Paul, MN USA

[try67]

Don't be so condescending, please. There's a good reason behind the questions we ask, since you didn't provide the full details in your original question. Also, keep in mind that we're helping you in our own free time, and voluntarily, so a bit of gratitude is in order.

And also a bit of humility. Your assumptions are wrong. Adobe doesn't own the PDF technology. It's an open ISO standard and anyone who wises to can create an application that implements it.

The issue in your case is most likely caused by FileMaker, considering that Adobe Reader is not even capable of creating PDF files, just display them, and is not involved in how they are produced. It just displays the file that FileMaker generated for you, so you should look for an answer there.

[Test Screen Name]

Thanks for the detail. It does help, especially now we have the answer to my question of how you make the PDF. Unfortunately in all that detail you still haven't told us your operating system version, so I'll guess one which means the answer may be wrong but there we go...

You have a common misunderstanding: that Adobe own PDF and are responsible for everything to do with it. In fact PDF is a public standard. In your case Adobe have nothing to do with the PDF creation. You are making the PDF the wrong size using technology from FileMaker and Apple. When you open it in Reader, Reader does what it must: show you the wrong size you made. Really we should send you to Apple's forums, but I'm going to have a go, since even buying Adobe Acrobat you wouldn't solve this basic misuse of page sizes.

If you were to print your FileMaker document like this it would print on letter paper because you DIDN'T CHANGE THAT. The same applies to saving a PDF. You need to set a custom page size in the PDF save options.

First make a custom size. Here's how in Yosemite: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18619?locale=en_US
Now, when you go to Save as PDF you MUST use this custom size, not the default.