3 Ways to Scale the Document to the Legal Paper Size [Both Word and PDF Suitable] 

Paper size plays a crucial role in the correct presentation of documents, ensuring not only aesthetics but also readability and usability. In some areas of law, paper sizes with more vertical space are required, so it is necessary to resize the document to fit this specific format.

In this article, we will introduce 3 methods in detail on how to scale documents to legal paper size, which are not only effective for Word documents but also for PDF documents.

How to Scale the Document to the Legal Paper Size in Word

Compared with A4 paper, legal paper has larger vertical space and can accommodate more content on the same page, making it more suitable for printing contracts, certificates, legal documents, etc.

As one of the popular office software, scaling documents to legal paper size in Microsoft Word is a relatively simple task. It allows you to quickly scale the document to fit different sizes of paper while creating or editing it.

There are many ways to scale a document to legal paper size in Microsoft Word, such as changing the margins, changing the page layout, and printing the document. Here we’ll cover the most common one.

Step 1. Open the document in Microsoft Word, or create a new document.

Step 2. Click “Layout” > “Size” in the main menu bar > Select “Legal” from the default paper sizes given by Microsoft Word to scale the document to legal paper size.

Step 3. Click the “Save” icon in the upper left corner to save the document.

Steps to Scale a Document to the Legal Paper Size for Free

Despite the simplicity and efficiency of the method mentioned, Microsoft Word is restricted to processing Word documents. For PDF files, PDFgear offers a free and efficient tool to resize documents to legal paper sizes.

PDFgear is compatible with Mac, Windows, and iOS, enabling effortless adjustment of PDF paper size through printing. It requires no registration, is user-friendly, and completely free. Crucially, PDFgear supports batch printing, making it perfect for handling large volumes of files.

Step 1. Open the PDF File in PDFgear

Download and install PDFgear to your device > Open PDFgear > Click “Open File” to select and open the PDF document that needs to be scaled locally.

Step 2. Enter Print Mode

Click the “Print” icon in the upper left corner.

Step 3. Scale the Document to Legal Paper Size

Go to the print settings pop-up window > Select “Legal” in the “Paper Size” drop-down bar > Complete other print settings > Click “Print”.

Guide to Scale to the Legal Paper Size With Adobe

Adobe Acrobat is another tool recommended for scaling PDFs to legal paper size. Offering a robust solution, it enables the customization of document sizes. However, Adobe Acrobat may not suit everyone; adjusting document sizes necessitates Adobe Acrobat Pro, which comes with a costly subscription.

Moreover, its advanced PDF editing features can be complex and may overwhelm beginners. Nonetheless, for existing Adobe members, it often stands as the preferred option for professionally scaling documents.

Step 1. Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Step 2. Click the “Print” icon in the toolbar in the upper left corner > Select “Custom Scale” under the Paper Size & Handing option and customize it to 500% or other values as required > Click “Print”.

FAQs

What Does It Mean to Scale a Document?

Scaling a document means adjusting its dimensions to fit a specific paper size or output format, ensuring that its format looks good and makes sense.

How Do I Change the Paper Size to Legal?

There are many ways to change the paper size to a legal one. However, we recommend you to use PDFgear.

For PDF files, simply select the paper size to a legal size when printing to quickly scale the document.

For documents in other formats, PDFgear can also quickly convert them to PDF and scale them.

Will Scaling My Document to Legal Size Affect Its Quality?

Won’t. Scaling a document to legal paper size will not affect its quality, as long as you follow the correct steps and adjust the document formatting settings appropriately to accommodate the new paper size.

Conclusion

Scaling documents to legal paper sizes is an important step for professionals who want to ensure their documents are correct and professional. With the right tools, such as Microsoft Word, PDFgear, and Adobe Acrobat, you can scale documents efficiently and accurately, ensuring your documents fit within the required paper size specifications.