Letter vs A4 Print Check
See whether a PDF will clip on US Letter or A4 before you print or email it overseas
100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.
Drop a PDF to check paper size
US Letter is 8.5 × 11 in · A4 is 210 × 297 mm · max 40 MB
Drop a PDF. You will get a per-page verdict: fits, will clip, or needs Fit to page.
About this tool
US Letter is 8.5×11 inches. ISO A4 is 210×297 mm. They are close, but not the same: a Letter PDF printed on A4 (or the other way around) can clip a header or leave an ugly margin. This checker reads each page’s size and flags Letter, A4, or mixed documents before you send a contract to a UK printer or an A4 CV to a US portal.
How to use this tool
- Open the PDFThe file is measured in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
- Read each pageYou get the paper name, points size, and a short note if Letter content is at risk on A4 (and vice versa).
Letter vs A4: what happens when you print on the wrong size
US Letter is 216 x 279 mm and A4 is 210 x 297 mm: Letter is slightly wider and A4 noticeably taller. A Letter PDF printed on A4 usually shrinks a little or gets a larger bottom margin; an A4 PDF printed on Letter can lose part of the header or footer.
To be safe, choose "Fit to page" or "Scale to fit" in the print dialog, or ask whoever sent the file for a version in your paper size. The US, Canada and Mexico use Letter; almost everywhere else uses A4.
Key features
- Detects mixed Letter/A4 packs that break office printers.
- Useful before US–UK document hand-offs.
- Private - pages never leave the device.
Common uses
- Checking a US contract before printing in London.
- Confirming a UK CV is A4 before a European ATS upload.
Tips for better results
- If you must print Letter on A4, use “actual size”, not “fit to page”, then check the crop.
- Compress large scans after you confirm the page size.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming “fit to page” keeps legal margins.
- Sending a mixed-size PDF to a print shop without warning.
Frequently asked questions
Re-export it from the original document with the right page size selected, which keeps the layout clean. If you only have the PDF, print it with "Fit to page" or "Scale to fit" turned on, so the printer shrinks the content instead of cutting off the top or bottom.
US Letter is 8.5×11 in (612×792 pt). A4 is 210×297 mm (about 595×842 pt). A4 is slightly narrower and taller.
Often yes, but the extra height of A4 or the extra width of Letter can clip headers or leave a strip of blank paper. This tool flags that risk.
No. Page sizes are read with PDF.js in your browser.
Those sizes are labelled when recognised. Mixed documents still get a per-page list.
Print preview shows one printer’s paper. This lists every page’s actual size in the file, which is what another country’s printer will see.