How to resize a PDF

You need to print some PDFs but from the preview you noticed that the documents are in a format that is not suitable for the type of sheets you intend to use. You would therefore need to resize the contents of these files on the fly but you don’t have the slightest idea how to do it. Fortunately for you, however, you have landed on the right guide, at the right time. In fact, with this tutorial of mine today I intend to explain how to do this.

In the following lines I will go to tell you about a whole series of special tools thanks to which you can be able to resize a PDF in a way that is as simple as it is fast. These are online services that can be used at no cost from any browser, computer and operating system. They are very simple to use – even for those who, a bit like you – do not consider themselves a great expert in IT and new technologies – and the results are guaranteed. Obviously there is no shortage of software solutions, which you can adopt in case those on the net are not satisfied or in any case if in general you prefer to use more traditional tools, so to speak.

Then? May I know what are you still doing standing there? Position yourself comfortably in front of your trusty PC (or Mac) and immediately start concentrating on reading everything listed below. I am sure that in the end you will be able to tell yourself very happy and satisfied with what you have learned and that, if necessary, you will also be ready to provide useful details in this regard to all your friends interested in the matter. What do you say, we bet?

Index

• Online solutions to resize a PDF
  • DocuPUB
  • PDF Candy
  • PDF2GO
• Software solutions to resize a PDF
  • PDFill FREE PDF Tools
  • Virtual printers
  • Other useful tools

Online solutions to resize a PDF

As I said at the beginning, various tools are available on the net thanks to which you can edit PDF files directly and comfortably from the browser window, without having to download absolutely anything on your computer. If you want to know more and especially if you want to find out which are what I believe to be the best solutions in the category, read on.

DocuPUB

Have you ever heard of DocuPUB ? No? I guessed. In any case, there is no problem, let’s fix it immediately. It is a free online service that allows you to resize PDF documents by adapting their content to various sheet formats without affecting the proportions. It allows you to upload files with a maximum weight of 20 MB and the interface is simple but well cared for.

The first step to use it is to connect to the DocuPUB website and click on the Choose file (or Browse ) button to select the PDF file on your computer that you want to resize.

At this point, indicate the format in which you want to convert your document from the drop-down menu that you find corresponding to the wording  Page size:  or select the Custom page size: option   below to specify, through the appropriate adjacent fields, a custom size apply it to the pages of the file.

Once you have made this choice and set the size you prefer, put the check mark next to the Scale and Constrain proportions when scaling items , to make sure that the PDF content is resized and not cut, and choose from the drop-down menu next to the Place the original content in entry  : the Center option , so that the document content is centered. If you have different requirements, select another of the available options.

To conclude and therefore to start resizing the selected document, click on the Upload & Resize button .

After a few seconds, you will be redirected to a page with the title of your document in the center: click on it to view the resized PDF. To download it to your computer instead, click on the appropriate button (usually in the shape of an arrow ) on the page that appears after opening the file. Unless otherwise specified in the browser settings, the PDF will be saved in the Download folder of the PC.

You can also resize the document just modified in another format, by clicking on the Try different resizing settings item , and immediately return to the main DocuPUB page to resize another document, by clicking on the Reset settings item . By clicking on the dustbin symbol next to the PDF name, you can delete the file without downloading it.

PDF Candy

PDF Candy is another great tool that falls within the ranks of those with which you can resize a PDF. It is an Internet site that provides users with various functions designed specifically for editing and converting PDF files. Among the various options available there is also a useful one for the purpose in question. It is free and does not impose particular limits regarding the maximum weight of the files and the number of documents that can be uploaded daily.

To take advantage of it, visit the section of the PDF Candy website dedicated to PDF resizing and drag the file you are interested in to act on the browser window. If you prefer to “manually” select the document, click on the + Add file button and choose the PDF on your computer that you want to upload online.

Then, if the document is on your Google Drive or Dropbox account , click on the icon relating to the reference service, log in to the latter and “take it” from there.

Once uploaded, select from the drop-down menu next to Page Size: the format you want your PDF to assume and press the adjacent Resize button .

Then wait a few moments for the procedure to be started and completed, then click on the Download file button to download the document just edited on your computer. If you haven’t made any changes to your browser’s default settings, the actual PDF saved in your computer’s Downloads folder . If you prefer, you can also save the file to one of the supported cloud storage services by clicking on its icon.

If, on the other hand, you want to resize another PDF file or you want to start the whole procedure all over again because the changes made to the selected document did not satisfy you, click on the Restart button .

PDF2GO

As an alternative to the solutions I have already told you about, you can resize your PDFs using  PDF2GO . It is an online service that, like those mentioned above, is totally free, easy to use and able to return excellent results. Similar to PDF Candy, it presents itself as a portal on which several useful functions are available for editing PDFs. Note that all files uploaded to the service are automatically deleted after 24 hours.

You ask me how to make use of it? I’ll point it out to you right away. First, connect to the section of the website dedicated to PDF resizing and drag the file you want to act on into the browser window. Alternatively, you can select the document manually by clicking the Choose file button .

And if your file is on one of the supported cloud storage services, such as Google Drive and Dropbox , click on its icon, log in to your account and take it from there. You can also upload a file from any other online location. To do this, press the Enter URL button and type the relevant link.

Once the upload is complete, use the drop-down menu under the heading Size of pages at the bottom left to define the format you want to assign to your document and then click on the Save changes button .

In the new page that will open, click on the Download button to download the file you just modified to your computer, or on Download ZIP File , to download it as an archive included in ZIP format. In both cases, unless otherwise specified in the browser settings, the PDF will be saved in the Downloads folder on your computer.

If instead of downloading the file locally you prefer to upload it to a cloud storage service, press the button with the cloud and the arrow and select the option you prefer. To change the document or another PDF from scratch, click on Further edit your file and choose Change PDF page size from the menu that opens.

Software solutions to resize a PDF

Instead of using a Web service like the ones I pointed out in the previous lines, would you prefer to use a “real” computer program? Then try the ad hoc solutions that I have indicated below. I’m sure they will satisfy you.

PDFill FREE PDF Tools

A great software resource you can turn to for resizing PDFs is  PDFill FREE PDF Tools . It is a suite of tools for editing and converting PDF documents that you can use for free for both personal and commercial purposes. It is for Windows only.

To download it on your computer, connect to its Internet site of the program and click on the Download link   located on the left, on the Download now  button under the word GET FREE Basic Version on the page that opens and on the additional Download Now button .

Once the download is complete, open the .exe file you just obtained and click first on the Yes button  and on Next . Check the box next to  I accept the terms in the License Agreement and complete the setup by clicking Next  three times in a row,  click  Install and  Finish . If during the installation process you are asked to install GhostScript and .Net Framework , please accept. They are two free software without which you would not be able to use many of the features included in PDFill FREE PDF Tools.

Then start PDFill FREE PDF Tools by double clicking on its icon that has been added to the desktop. Now that you see the program window, start the PDF resize tool by clicking on the Reformat Multiple Pages button   and select the file you want to shake from the further window that opens.

At this point, select the format you want to assign to the pages of your PDF from the drop-down menu New PDF Page Size: and indicate the orientation choosing between Portrait or Landescape . If, on the other hand, you want to manually specify the dimensions that the PDF will have to take, select the Custom Size item from the above menu and use the fields below to indicate the dimensions.

Then choose if and how to intervene on the original layout of the document using the menus below the item Original PDF Page Layout:, adjust (if you want) the margins using the fields corresponding to the item Margin from Original PDF Page to New Page Edge: and adjust the other settings available based on your needs and preferences.

Finally, press the Save As button … which is at the bottom left, specify the location on your computer where you want to save the file you just resized, assign it a name and press Save . Here it is!

Virtual printers

You probably weren’t aware of this but you should know that both Windows and Mac include virtual printers for PDFs which can be particularly handy for the purpose in question.

This is essentially software that “pretends” to be printers, allowing you to process any type of printable content and transform it into a PDF file that can be played on any device and in any dedicated application. They are also useful for changing the appearance of PDFs and then resizing them.

• To use the virtual printer for PDFs on Windows 10, just open the reference document (using any software suitable for the purpose), invoke the command for printing through the program you are using (usually accessible via the File menu  ) and choose  Microsoft Print to PDF  or  Save as PDF  from the list of available printers. Through the screen that will be shown you can then proceed with changing the orientation of the pages, the dimensions, the margins, you can choose whether or not to adapt the contents of the document to the new layout chosen etc. To confirm the changes, click on the Print button and indicates where to save the edited document.
• To use the virtual printer for PDFs on Mac, open the PDF document you wish to intervene in (using any application suitable for the purpose), click on the File item in the menu bar and choose Print… . In the window that opens, adjust the settings related to page size, orientation, scale etc., select Save as PDF from the drop-down menu at the bottom left and indicate the location on your Mac in which to save the resized document.

If you think you need more details about it or if you prefer to rely on alternative virtual printers to the “standard” ones, I suggest you read my tutorial dedicated specifically to the subject.

Other useful tools

Further useful tools to resize a PDF as well as to perform various other editing operations on the type of file in question can then find them in my tutorials dedicated to programs to read PDF and to programs to open PDF . I also suggest you take a look at my guide on how to edit a PDF for free and my post on programs to edit PDF for free in Italian . Enjoy the reading!