How PDF Cropping Works
PDFs define multiple page boundaries. The two most important:
- MediaBox — the full physical page size (e.g., 595 × 842 points for A4)
- CropBox — the visible area shown by viewers and printed. Defaults to MediaBox if not set.
Cropping sets a CropBox smaller than the MediaBox. The "cropped" content still exists in the file — it's just hidden. This is lossless. To permanently remove content, use a PDF editor with a "trim" or "delete hidden content" function.
Units: Points vs. Percentages
PDF coordinates are measured in points (1 point = 1/72 inch). An A4 page is 595 × 842 points. Cropping tools typically offer:
- Points — precise, for documents with known dimensions
- Millimeters — intuitive for print designers
- Percentages — scale-independent, useful when you don't know the exact page size
Common Crop Use Cases
- Scanned documents — remove the dark border left by a flatbed scanner lid
- Exported slides — strip the slide margins when converting presentation pages to print-ready PDFs
- Two-up pages — a PDF with two book pages per sheet; crop each half into separate documents
Cropping All Pages vs. Selected Pages
For consistent margins across a document, apply one crop setting to all pages. For mixed-size documents (e.g., some portrait, some landscape), crop each orientation separately or select pages manually.
Crop a PDF Now
Open ToolsVito's Crop PDF, enter your margin values, apply to all or selected pages, and download — processed entirely in your browser.