PDF Margins

Control the white space around your PDF content with precise margin settings. Proper margins ensure readability, allow for binding, and create professional-looking documents.

Margin Parameters

All margins accept values with units (e.g., 1in, 2.5cm, 20mm, 72pt).

Top Margin (marginTop)

• Default: Browser default (~0.4in)
• Description: Space at the top of each page
• Example: marginTop=1in

Right Margin (marginRight)

• Default: Browser default (~0.4in)
• Description: Space on the right side of each page
• Example: marginRight=0.75in

Bottom Margin (marginBottom)

• Default: Browser default (~0.4in)
• Description: Space at the bottom of each page
• Example: marginBottom=1in

Left Margin (marginLeft)

• Default: Browser default (~0.4in)
• Description: Space on the left side of each page
• Example: marginLeft=0.75in

Important Note

All four margins must be specified together when setting custom margins. You cannot set individual margins.

Usage Examples

Standard Office Margins

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

Narrow Margins

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=0.5in

Wide Margins for Binding

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&marginTop=1in&marginRight=0.75in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1.25in

Metric Margins

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&marginTop=25mm&marginRight=20mm&marginBottom=25mm&marginLeft=20mm

Common Margin Presets

Document Types

Standard Document

// 1 inch all around (US)
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

// 2.5cm all around (Metric)
&marginTop=2.5cm&marginRight=2.5cm&marginBottom=2.5cm&marginLeft=2.5cm

Academic Papers

// MLA Format
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

// APA Format
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

Business Letters

// Professional letter
&marginTop=2in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

// Compact business
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=0.75in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=0.75in

Books & Publications

// Book with binding consideration
&marginTop=0.75in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.75in&marginLeft=1in

// Magazine style
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=0.5in

Specialty Formats

Presentation Handouts

// Wide margins for notes
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=2in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=0.75in

// Minimal margins for slides
&marginTop=0.25in&marginRight=0.25in&marginBottom=0.25in&marginLeft=0.25in

Forms & Applications

// Room for hole punching
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=1.25in

// Government forms
&marginTop=0.75in&marginRight=0.75in&marginBottom=0.75in&marginLeft=0.75in

Brochures

// Tri-fold margins
&marginTop=0.25in&marginRight=0.25in&marginBottom=0.25in&marginLeft=0.25in

// With bleed area
&marginTop=0.375in&marginRight=0.375in&marginBottom=0.375in&marginLeft=0.375in

Unit Conversions

Supported Units

Unit	Description	Example	Conversion
in	Inches	1in	1 inch = 25.4mm
mm	Millimeters	25mm	1mm = 0.0394 inches
cm	Centimeters	2.5cm	1cm = 0.394 inches
pt	Points	72pt	72pt = 1 inch
px	Pixels	96px	96px = 1 inch (at 96 DPI)

Common Conversions

// Inches to other units
1 inch = 2.54 cm = 25.4 mm = 72 pt = 96 px

// Centimeters to other units
1 cm = 0.394 in = 10 mm = 28.35 pt = 37.8 px

// Standard margins in different units
1 inch = 2.54cm = 25.4mm = 72pt
0.5 inch = 1.27cm = 12.7mm = 36pt
0.75 inch = 1.905cm = 19.05mm = 54pt

Margin Guidelines

Minimum Margins

For Printing

• Laser/Inkjet: 0.25in (6.35mm) minimum
• Professional: 0.5in (12.7mm) recommended
• Binding edge: Add 0.25-0.5in extra

For Digital Viewing

• Screen: 0.25in (6.35mm) minimum
• Mobile: 0.125in (3.175mm) possible
• Tablets: 0.25in (6.35mm) comfortable

Maximum Margins

Consider content area:

// Calculate content area
const pageWidth = 8.5; // inches
const marginLeft = 1;
const marginRight = 1;
const contentWidth = pageWidth - marginLeft - marginRight; // 6.5 inches

// Ensure adequate content space
const minContentWidth = 4; // inches
const maxMargins = (pageWidth - minContentWidth) / 2; // 2.25 inches

Special Considerations

Binding & Hole Punching

Left Binding

// Extra left margin for binding
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=0.75in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1.25in

Top Binding

// Extra top margin for binding
&marginTop=1.5in&marginRight=0.75in&marginBottom=0.75in&marginLeft=0.75in

Three-Hole Punch

// Standard hole punch spacing
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=1.25in

Headers & Footers

Margins affect header/footer placement:

// Room for headers
&marginTop=1.5in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

// Room for footers
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1.5in&marginLeft=1in

Landscape Orientation

Adjust margins for landscape:

// Portrait margins
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

// Landscape adjusted
&landscape=true&marginTop=0.75in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=0.75in&marginLeft=1in

Dynamic Margin Calculation

Based on Content Type

function getMargins(contentType) {
  const margins = {
    'report': { top: '1in', right: '1in', bottom: '1in', left: '1in' },
    'letter': { top: '2in', right: '1in', bottom: '1in', left: '1in' },
    'form': { top: '0.5in', right: '0.5in', bottom: '0.5in', left: '0.5in' },
    'poster': { top: '0.25in', right: '0.25in', bottom: '0.25in', left: '0.25in' }
  };
  
  return margins[contentType] || margins['report'];
}

Responsive Margins

// Scale margins based on page size
function scaleMargins(format, baseMargin = 1) {
  const scaleFactor = {
    'A6': 0.5,
    'A5': 0.75,
    'A4': 1,
    'A3': 1.25,
    'Letter': 1,
    'Legal': 1.1,
    'Tabloid': 1.5
  }[format] || 1;
  
  const margin = `${baseMargin * scaleFactor}in`;
  return { top: margin, right: margin, bottom: margin, left: margin };
}

Troubleshooting

Content Cut Off

If content is cut off at margins:

// Reduce margins
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=0.5in

// Or increase page size
&format=A3  // Larger format

Margins Not Applied

Common issues:

• All four margins must be specified
• Include units (1in not just 1)
• Check for typos in parameter names

Printer Compatibility

Different printers have different minimums:

// Safe for most printers
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=0.5in

// Test with your specific printer
// Some may support 0.25in or less

Best Practices

1. Consistency

Maintain consistent margins throughout a document set:

// Define standard margins
const COMPANY_MARGINS = {
  top: '1in',
  right: '0.75in',
  bottom: '1in',
  left: '0.75in'
};

2. Purpose-Driven

Choose margins based on use:

// Reading document
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1.25in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1.25in

// Data-heavy report
&marginTop=0.5in&marginRight=0.5in&marginBottom=0.5in&marginLeft=0.5in

// Formal document
&marginTop=1in&marginRight=1in&marginBottom=1in&marginLeft=1in

3. Testing

Always test with your target output:

• Print a test page
• Check on different devices
• Verify binding space
• Confirm readability

Accessibility Considerations

Readable Margins

• Minimum 0.5in for body text
• Wider margins for large print
• Consider visual comfort
• Allow for annotations

Device Variations

// Desktop viewing
const desktopMargins = '1in';

// Tablet viewing
const tabletMargins = '0.75in';

// Mobile viewing (if applicable)
const mobileMargins = '0.5in';

See Also

• Paper Size & Format - Set page dimensions
• PDF Rendering - Scale and print options
• Storage Options - Save PDFs with proper formatting