Print collection of "things" to PDF, adding white margin

[David.P]

Hi forum & Tracker team,

I need to print an assortment of differently sized attachments (screenshots, book copies, Wikipedia excerpts...) that have been already collected to a single PDF file like below:



... to a PDF file that is less chaotic, i.e. has consistent page size and orientation, and white print margins (for adding page numbers, headers etc. and for later printing to paper).

If I print to pdf, I don't seem to be able to do the following:

a) don't change smaller images (i.e. don't enlarge and don't reduce)
b) reduce large images to fit on the page
c) keep/add white margin around large images

a) plus b) seems to be easily doable (by standard PDF printing), but I can't seem to add c).

Thank you already for all ideas,
Regards David.P

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello David,

If you open your virtual printer's properties - you should be able to add some Margin there - and then simply select to "Reduce to printer margins" in the Viewer's main print dialogue - this will reduce larger pages, leave smaller ones intact, and add the desired margins to all pages that otherwise would print to the edge of the sheet.

Best,
Stefan

[David.P]

Hi Stefan,

the problem is that there are no margin settings in the printer driver anywhere (this is the Ad*be X printer driver).

Regards David.P

[David.P]

Not even the PDF-XChange Lite PDF printer driver seems to have a setting for margins.

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hi David,

Well - our printing drivers have such an option, and I assumed all others will do too!

Please check the attached image - where I've already set the margins (so that the preview updates), and then opened the printer's preferences window once again.

The scaling type is the one you should use to achieve points a) and b) - and c) is achievable with the margins setting.

If you do not have a license for our Standard printing drivers - but are a home user - the Lite driver also has such a Margin setting:
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/free_lite_home.html

Best,
Stefan

N.B. - regarding your above post - the Lite driver actually has that - under Page Size

[David.P]

N.B. - regarding your above post - the Lite driver actually has that - under Page Size

THERE IT IS!

You guys always are simply the best.

Regards David.P

--
PS: do I have to buy the Lite driver (as PDF-XChange Viewer Pro customer) in order to not have watermarks printed?

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hi David,

Just use your Viewer key when installing the Lite driver as a Viewer license is valid for both products as explained here:
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/free_offer_lite.html

Cheers,
Stefan

[David.P]

Thanks Stefan, the key worked --- but not the margins!

This is the settings:



...but I still don't get any margins

[David.P]

Same if I print from PDF-XChange Viewer:


No margins get added

[David.P]

Same if I use the "Custom" setting for Page Size, and add the margin.

[David.P]

Additionally, when printing my PDF file through PDF-XChange Lite, the Adobe ClearScan OCR layer gets lost

Honestly, I urgently need a possibility to change PDF page sizes and margins on existing PDF files WITHOUT having to re-print the files again.

Does any of your other PDF software offer this?

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hi David,

Make sure that the Custom page size is selected, and then make sure to select to "Reduce to printer margins" after that - you will see in the Preview the margins are added.

As for the OCR layer - Yes it will get lost when reprinting and there is no way to avoid that, and also I can not think of any way for you to "standardize" the size of pages without repritning them all.
You can of course always use the OCR module in our own Viewer after reprinting your document though - to add a new invisible OCR layer in your now resized file.

Best,
Stefan

[David.P]

Make sure that the Custom page size is selected, and then make sure to select to "Reduce to printer margins" after that - you will see in the Preview the margins are added.

Doesn't work (see my last two screenshots)

[David.P]

OK I found a Würgaround, it goes like this:

1.) start off with an arbitrary PDF collection of stuff (see first post).
2.) if it contains comments, highlights etc.: flatten them down with PDF-XChange Viewer!
3.) open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat
4.) enlarge the page size with the "crop page" tool (!) by choosing a larger page size like e.g. A3
5.) then crop the enlarged page down again and leave some whithe margin.
6.) save the file
7.) If all pages must be of the same size like e.g. A4, re-print the file.

I really hate having to fiddle like a lunatic around such "basic" stuff...

Couldn't you guys simply invent a "add white margin of xx millimeters to page" feature for PDF-XChange Viewer Pro instead?

Regards David.P

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hi David,

Apologies - I've been testing with the standard printing driver where the margins worked correctly. The bug is confirmed in the Lite driver - and I just created a ticket that will allow us to track and fix this problem:
#1510: Lite 5.0.260: Not setting margins correctly

Best,
Stefan

[David.P]

Great, thank you Stefan.

Thank you guys also for the excellent support (and the superb products, as always).

Regards David.P

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Pleasure David!

Cheers,
Stefan

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello David,

I just got a notification that ticket 1510 is now resolved and the fix will be in the next build (expected this week).

Best,
Stefan

[David.P]

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

[xpdf29349521]

Fyi.

3.) open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat
4.) enlarge the page size with the "crop page" tool (!) by choosing a larger page size like e.g. A3

-> Crop is or has become part of Acrobat Pro.

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]

Hello, xpdf29349521

I know you have already posted there, but to ensure others spot it, I figured I should cross references this solution to the issue discussed here:
viewtopic.php?p=171431#p171431
While not a perfect solution for adding margins while printing, it is a quick way to add them in before doing so, and could be helpful in cases where the print margins features are incompatible.

Kind regards,