How to use the add margins or note space to pdf
- Choose a PDF or drop it on the box. Everything stays on your device.
- Pick what to do. Keep the page size shrinks the content to fit inside the margins, so the paper size does not change. Make the page larger adds blank space around the untouched content.
- Choose a unit (inches, millimeters or points) and type the top, bottom, left and right margins. Use 0 for a side that needs none. Tick the mirror option for double-sided binding.
- Press Add margins and download and check the preview of page 1.
Half an inch of margin on a Letter page
A Letter page is 612 by 792 points (8.5 by 11 inches). A margin of 0.5 inch is 36 points on each side. In keep the page size mode the free area is 540 by 720 points. The scale is the smaller of 540 divided by 612 and 720 divided by 792, which is 0.8824 against 0.9091, so the page content is drawn at 88.2% and the page stays 8.5 by 11 inches.
In make the page larger mode the content stays at 100% and the page grows to 684 by 864 points, which is 9.5 by 12 inches. Use a larger left margin than right, for example 1.5 inch against 0.5 inch, to leave a binding edge.
Which mode should you choose
Keep the page size when the paper must stay the same, for example when you will print on Letter or A4 and need room for a three-hole punch. The content gets a little smaller, and the tool keeps the original proportions so nothing is stretched.
Make the page larger when the content must stay at full size, for example when you want a wide right column for handwritten notes next to a slide handout. The page is then bigger than standard paper, so check the print scaling setting of your printer.
Binding and double-sided printing
For a bound document the wide margin has to be on the inside. On the front side of a sheet the inside is the left edge, and on the back it is the right edge. The mirror option swaps the left and right margins on every even page, so a wide left margin becomes a wide right margin on the back of each sheet. Odd pages keep your numbers as typed.
What happens to links and fields
Each page is placed on a new page as a vector copy of the original, so text stays selectable and sharp. Interactive parts of the original page, such as links and form fields, are not carried over to the new page. If you need them, add margins first and set up links afterward. To change the paper size instead, use change PDF page size, and to number the pages afterward use add page numbers to PDF.
Assumptions and limits
- One inch is 72 points and one millimeter is 72 divided by 25.4 points. The examples above use these definitions.
- A page may not become smaller than 18 points or larger than 14,400 points on a side. Larger pages are not handled reliably by PDF viewers.
- Pages that were rotated in the original file keep their displayed orientation, and the margins are measured on the page as you see it.
- The margins are the same on every page, apart from the optional mirror swap.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add white space to the side of a PDF for notes?
Choose make the page larger, enter a large margin on the side where you want the note space, such as 2.5 inches on the right, and leave the other sides at 0. The page content keeps its size.
Will my PDF text still be selectable after adding margins?
Yes. The pages are copied as vector content rather than turned into pictures, so text can still be selected, searched and copied.
What does mirroring the margins mean?
On even pages the left and right margins are swapped. With double-sided printing the wide margin then always lands on the binding side of the sheet.
Why do I get a message that the margins leave no room?
In keep the page size mode the margins must be smaller than the page. If their sum on one axis is as large as the page, nothing is left to draw, so lower the numbers.