Skip to main content

Paper Size & Format

Configure the paper dimensions, orientation, and format for your PDF output. These settings determine the layout and appearance of your generated PDFs.

Paper Format​

Format (format)​

  • Default: A4
  • Options: Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Ledger, A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6
  • Example: format=Letter
  • Note: Predefined sizes following international standards

Landscape Orientation (landscape)​

  • Default: false (portrait)
  • Description: Rotate paper to landscape orientation
  • Example: landscape=true
  • Effect: Swaps width and height dimensions

Standard Paper Formats​

ISO 216 A-Series (International)​

FormatPortrait (mm)Portrait (inches)Landscape (mm)Landscape (inches)
A0841 × 118933.1 × 46.81189 × 84146.8 × 33.1
A1594 × 84123.4 × 33.1841 × 59433.1 × 23.4
A2420 × 59416.5 × 23.4594 × 42023.4 × 16.5
A3297 × 42011.7 × 16.5420 × 29716.5 × 11.7
A4210 × 2978.3 × 11.7297 × 21011.7 × 8.3
A5148 × 2105.8 × 8.3210 × 1488.3 × 5.8
A6105 × 1484.1 × 5.8148 × 1055.8 × 4.1

North American Sizes​

FormatPortrait (inches)Portrait (mm)Landscape (inches)Landscape (mm)
Letter8.5 × 11216 × 27911 × 8.5279 × 216
Legal8.5 × 14216 × 35614 × 8.5356 × 216
Tabloid11 × 17279 × 43217 × 11432 × 279
Ledger17 × 11432 × 27911 × 17279 × 432

Custom Paper Size​

Width (width)​

  • Default: None (uses format)
  • Description: Custom paper width
  • Example: width=8.5in or width=210mm
  • Required: Must be used with height

Height (height)​

  • Default: None (uses format)
  • Description: Custom paper height
  • Example: height=11in or height=297mm
  • Required: Must be used with width

Supported Units​

  • Inches: in (e.g., 8.5in)
  • Millimeters: mm (e.g., 210mm)
  • Centimeters: cm (e.g., 21cm)
  • Points: pt (e.g., 612pt)
  • Pixels: px (e.g., 816px at 96 DPI)

Usage Examples​

Standard A4 PDF​

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&format=A4

Letter Size Landscape​

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&format=Letter&landscape=true

Custom Size PDF​

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&width=5in&height=7in

Large Format Poster​

https://cdn.capture.page/KEY/HASH/pdf?url=https://example.com&format=A1&landscape=true

Common Use Cases​

Business Documents​

Standard Letter​

// US business document
&format=Letter

// International business
&format=A4
// US legal size
&format=Legal

// Landscape for wide tables
&format=Legal&landscape=true

Marketing Materials​

Brochures​

// Tri-fold brochure (custom)
&width=11in&height=8.5in&landscape=true

// A4 bi-fold
&format=A4&landscape=true

Posters​

// Small poster
&format=A3

// Large poster
&format=A1&landscape=true

Reports & Presentations​

Financial Reports​

// Standard report
&format=A4

// Wide financial tables
&format=A4&landscape=true

Slide Handouts​

// Presentation format
&format=Letter&landscape=true

// European presentation
&format=A4&landscape=true

Custom Size Guidelines​

Common Custom Sizes​

Books & Publications​

// Paperback novel
&width=5.5in&height=8.5in

// Technical manual
&width=7in&height=10in

// Magazine
&width=8.375in&height=10.875in

Labels & Cards​

// Business card
&width=3.5in&height=2in

// Postcard
&width=6in&height=4in

// CD cover
&width=4.75in&height=4.75in

Digital Formats​

// Kindle
&width=3.6in&height=4.8in

// iPad screen
&width=7.76in&height=10.24in

// Mobile viewport
&width=375px&height=812px

Size Calculations​

Converting Units​

// Inches to millimeters
const mm = inches * 25.4;

// Millimeters to inches
const inches = mm / 25.4;

// Points to inches (72 points = 1 inch)
const inches = points / 72;

// Pixels to inches (at 96 DPI)
const inches = pixels / 96;

Aspect Ratios​

// Calculate height from width and ratio
const ratio = 1.414; // A4 ratio
const width = 210; // mm
const height = width * ratio; // 297mm

// Common ratios
const A_SERIES = 1.414; // √2
const GOLDEN = 1.618;
const US_LETTER = 1.294;

Orientation Best Practices​

When to Use Portrait​

  • Text-heavy documents
  • Standard reports
  • Books and articles
  • Vertical infographics
  • Mobile app screenshots

When to Use Landscape​

  • Wide tables and spreadsheets
  • Presentations
  • Horizontal timelines
  • Panoramic images
  • Side-by-side comparisons

Dynamic Orientation​

// Choose orientation based on content
const contentWidth = measureContentWidth();
const threshold = 800; // pixels

const orientation = contentWidth > threshold ? 
  '&landscape=true' : '';

Performance Considerations​

File Size Impact​

Larger paper sizes result in:

  • Increased file size
  • Higher memory usage
  • Longer processing time
  • More storage space

Optimization Tips​

Right-size Your PDFs​

// Don't use A0 for simple documents
❌ &format=A0  // Unnecessary

// Use appropriate size
✅ &format=A4  // Standard document

Consider Digital vs Print​

// Digital viewing (smaller file)
&width=8.5in&height=11in&scale=0.8

// Print quality (full size)
&format=Letter&scale=1

Regional Preferences​

By Region​

North America​

  • Default: Letter (8.5" × 11")
  • Legal documents: Legal (8.5" × 14")
  • Posters: Tabloid (11" × 17")

Europe & International​

  • Default: A4 (210mm × 297mm)
  • Large docs: A3 (297mm × 420mm)
  • Small docs: A5 (148mm × 210mm)

Japan​

  • Default: A4 or B5 (182mm × 257mm)
  • Books: B6 (128mm × 182mm)
  • Business: A4

Auto-Detection​

// Detect user region
const region = getUserRegion();

const defaultFormat = {
  'US': 'Letter',
  'CA': 'Letter',
  'EU': 'A4',
  'UK': 'A4',
  'JP': 'A4',
  'default': 'A4'
}[region] || 'A4';

Common Issues​

Content Cut Off​

If content is truncated:

// Increase page size
&format=A3  // Instead of A4

// Use landscape
&landscape=true

// Adjust scale
&scale=0.8

Unexpected Dimensions​

When custom sizes don't work:

  • Verify unit syntax (8.5in not 8.5")
  • Both width AND height required
  • Check maximum size limits

Resolution Problems​

For print quality:

  • Use larger formats
  • Increase scale factor
  • Consider vector content

Best Practices​

1. Match Intent​

// Screen viewing
&format=A4&scale=0.9

// Professional printing
&format=Letter&scale=1

// Archive/legal
&format=Legal&scale=1

2. Test Multiple Sizes​

const sizes = ['A4', 'Letter', 'A3'];
sizes.forEach(format => {
  generatePDF(url, format);
});

3. Document Standards​

  • Follow organizational guidelines
  • Consider international users
  • Maintain consistency
  • Document size choices

See Also​

Last updated on by Arjun Komath