1

Does PDF documents have a standard size? Almost all PDF's i have seen has A4 Size,is this the standard size,if not what is the most common size in pixels for PDF document?

fixer1234
  • 27,064
  • 61
  • 75
  • 116
user281536
  • 21
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • Pixels have no real meaning for PDF. Why are you asking? – slhck Dec 13 '13 at 06:45
  • @slhck Do you mean that PDF Pages does not have dimensions? – user281536 Dec 13 '13 at 06:47
  • They do, but not in pixels. The real question is why you're asking. If you need to create PDFs in a certain format, what stops you from doing so? If that's not the problem, what else is? – slhck Dec 13 '13 at 06:54
  • @user281536: pdf treats dimensions as vectors and not as discrete pixels. any given "form factor" like A4 or US-Letter just define the aspect ratio a given page should have to look good when the pdf is printed to A4 or US-Letter or whatever. – akira Dec 13 '13 at 06:54
  • @slhck Well,what im trying to do is write a text on PDF,I intent to use an Image to show it to the user in real time rather than writing on the PDF itself,so i try to create a bitmap of a common pdf size and write on it – user281536 Dec 13 '13 at 06:54
  • @user281536 Pdfs represent physical documents and measure in physical dimensions, like cm. Pixels measure screen estate and can have any size. – Mattias Åslund Dec 13 '13 at 06:54
  • 1
    If you allow a user to write text on a PDF, that PDF must already exist or you should already know its dimensions. If you want a standard size choose A4 or letter or whatever is common in the area you live in. – slhck Dec 13 '13 at 06:57

1 Answers1

2

PDF files can contain documents of essentially any size. There is no 'standard'. The most common size in Europe and much of the world is A4 - 210mm x 297mm. In the US it's Letter: 8.5" x 11". Much of PDF content is stored as vectors and will scale, so the size in pixels is dependent of the output device.

  • Well,what im trying to do is write a text on PDF,I intent to use an Image to show it to the user in real time rather than writing on the PDF itself,so i try to create a bitmap of a common pdf size and write on it – user281536 Dec 13 '13 at 06:54
  • ok actually i think your all wrong on saying that pixel has no real meaning in a PDF but i beg to differ... PDF's are measured in inches as stated above, standard is 8.5" x 11" in the USA. 96px = 1" 816px X 1056px would be the width and hight of 1 page in pixels for a PDF in the the USA A4 standard. – Gregory Bowers Dec 04 '20 at 19:37