scanmydocz Scan a document

How to crop a PDF

Open the PDF in a crop tool, choose how much to trim and from which edges, and save. Every page is trimmed by the same amount and nothing is redrawn, so text stays sharp. Cropping only hides the edges: the trimmed strip is still in the file and anyone can restore it.

Crop PDF trims every page in your browser and tells you if a page was too small to trim. Crop PDF

Cropping a PDF

  1. Open the PDF in Crop PDF.
  2. Choose how much to trim: 10 mm suits most scan borders.
  3. Choose the edges: all four, top and bottom, left and right, or one edge.
  4. Crop, then open the result and check a page whose text runs close to the edge.

What cropping actually does

Every PDF page has a crop box, the window a reader shows. Cropping moves that window inwards. Nothing on the page is redrawn or recompressed, which is why text stays selectable and the file stays about the same size.

It is also why cropping is reversible. Anyone who resets the crop box, which several free readers can do, sees the whole page again.

Trimming scans and exports

Scans often carry a dark border from the scanner lid or the table, and 10 millimetres from every edge removes it on most A4 pages. Slide exports and printed web pages often carry a header strip, which trimming the top edge alone removes.

Cropping is not redaction

Never crop to hide a name, an address or an account number. The hidden strip is still in the file. Redact PDF removes the text itself, so it cannot be recovered by anyone.

One page needs different treatment

A crop tool that trims every page equally is right for a scan or an export. If one page needs a different trim, take it out with Split PDF, crop it separately, and put the file back together with Merge PDF.

Questions people ask next

Does cropping a PDF make the file smaller?

Not noticeably. The trimmed area is still stored in the file; only the visible window changes.

Can I undo a crop?

Yes. Your original is untouched, and the cropped file can be restored by resetting its crop box in a PDF editor.

Is my PDF uploaded when I crop it?

No. Crop PDF works in your browser.

Related