Half a sentence ends at the right edge with the rest missing. Charts run off the bottom. A signature line is half there.
The content extends beyond the visible page. Two ways to fix it: change the page to fit the content, or change the content to fit the page.
What's actually going wrong
PDFs have explicit page dimensions. If content positioning extends beyond those dimensions, the extra is technically there but not visible. Caused by:
Wrong page size set at export. Source was A4 layout, exported as letter, content overhangs. Content bleed not flattened. Print bleed extends beyond trim, only obvious at certain zoom levels. Image scaled larger than page. A photo placed at high resolution and not constrained.
The quick fix
Re-export from source with correct page size. In Word, Page Layout > Size, set to match content. In Pages, similar. In InDesign, document setup.
If you only have the cut PDF, convert to Word — Flint reads what's visible and structures it editably. Adjust the Word page size to fit content, export back to PDF.
If that didn't work
For PDFs where content extends invisibly but you want it back, the content is in the file even if not visible. Some viewers expose 'show full content' or 'no crop' options that reveal the extra. If not, conversion routes (PDF-to-Word then back) preserve the full content while resetting the page boundary.
For scans where part of the original document didn't fit on the scanner, the content was never captured. Rescan with the document positioned correctly.
Prevent it next time
Set page size before laying out content. Use margins consistently. Check edges before exporting. And for scans, verify the entire document fits in the scanner's visible area.
FAQ
Is the cut-off content actually in the file?
Usually yes — it's beyond the visible page boundary but the data exists. Conversion via Word brings it back into view by resizing the page.
Can I expand the visible area without re-exporting?
Some advanced PDF tools let you resize page boxes directly. For most users, conversion via Word is simpler.
Why does my Word doc fit but PDF cuts off?
PDF export used a different page size than your Word doc. In Word, File > Export > PDF/XPS, click Options, verify page size matches.
Will resizing affect text layout?
Possibly. Changing page size in Word may reflow text. Check the result and adjust as needed before re-exporting.
Cut-off content fixes via Flint's converter — read what's visible, adjust the page, re-export full.