You exported the report on A4. The US client wants it in Letter. The two sizes look identical until you print — A4 is taller and narrower, Letter is shorter and wider. Print A4 content on Letter paper and you get a strip cut off the bottom.
Changing the page size on an existing PDF takes two minutes and saves the reprint.
Pick the target size
Common conversions: A4 (Europe) ↔ Letter (US), A3 ↔ Tabloid, A5 ↔ Statement. Custom sizes are common for booklets, brochures, and trade-show handouts.
Write down the exact dimensions (width × height in mm or inches) before starting. "Letter" without exact dimensions has caused more reprints than any other paper-size mishap.
Choose scale or fit
Scale to fit: the content shrinks to fit the new page size. Best when you want everything visible and don't mind smaller text. Fit width / Fit height: lock one dimension and let the other crop. Best for keeping headings at full size.
Stretch: rare. Distorts content. Almost never the right choice.
Apply and check
Open the file in Flint's editor, set the page size, choose the scaling mode, apply. The PDF resaves with the new size.
Check the result at actual size. Text that ran to the edge of A4 might overflow Letter (or vice versa). If it does, redo with a tighter scale.
FAQ
What's the difference between A4 and Letter exactly?
A4 is 210 × 297 mm. Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm. A4 is taller and narrower; Letter is shorter and wider. Don't print one as the other without scaling.
Can I have mixed page sizes in one PDF?
Yes, but it's usually a bad idea. Mixed sizes confuse printers and look amateurish. Pick one size and apply it across the whole file.
Will images stay sharp after resizing?
Images don't lose quality from scaling unless they were too low-resolution to start with. Text scales perfectly.
Should I change page size before or after compressing?
Resize first, compress second. The compressor sees the final page size and optimises accordingly.
Page size mismatches are an avoidable reprint. Open your file in Flint's editor, pick the target, and resize cleanly.