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This article discusses how to reduce the scale of a PDF file so that the content shrinks without shrinking the page size. I often work with PDF files which are routed through a content management system and the final document gets a watermark placed at the footer. I wouldn’t want the footer to overlap with my PDF content, so this method allows me to shrink the content area of the PDF file while maintaining the paper size. For example, look at the image below. I reduced the scale of a full size PDF by 85%. As you can see, the content area got reduced but the paper size remains the same.

Steps to Reduce the Scale of a PDF File

Step 1: Open the PDF File

Step 2: Click on Print

Step 3: From Printer selection, choose Microsoft Print to PDF

Step 4: Scroll down to Scale (%) section and reduce the scale to an appropriate size

Step 5: Click Print and save the shrunk PDF file.

After following these steps, you should now have a scaled down PDF file with additional space around the content.