Possible Bug: PDF-Tools Word Add-In Not Converting A4 Word Docs to A4 Sized PDF Docs

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

This zip file contains a Word file with a single A4 page in it:

Test.zip

(16.76 KiB) Downloaded 3 times

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I use the Word Add-in from PDF-Tools to convert the Word file to an A4 pdf file. Here is a screenshot of the settings I'm using:

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The problem is that the resulting pdf file is not quite A4 size. It is close (20.997 cm X 29.701 cm) but not A4 size. This is a problem because it has to be exactly A4 size or the government entity where I file it will reject it. Here is the pdf file.

Test.pdf

(9.59 KiB) Downloaded 2 times

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If I perform the same conversion but with a letter file (Word file is letter page and PDF-Tools Word Add-in is set to letter), then the resulting file is exactly letter sized.
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Can you reproduce this ... or am I doing something wrong?

BTW, I'm on build 389.

[Vladimir G - Tracker Dev]

Hello mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap,

Actually, I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but I suggest specifying the 'Sheet size' option as A4.

Best regards,

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

That worked. However, it does the raise the question of what it means when the Layout is set to "Auto." If the Word document is letter size it produces a letter size pdf file. If the Word document is A4 size it produces a document that is almost A4 size but not quite.

Edit to add: I confirmed that the original issue also occurs using print to pdf so it's not limited to the Word addin. Also, according to the help manual (https://help.pdf-xchange.com/pdfxp9/ind ... ngs_s.html), setting the sheet size to auto sets the sheet size automatically, which doesn't shed much light on how it is supposed to work.

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I find it hard to believe that the intended sheet size for A4 paper is something is just a whisker off from being actual A4 size.

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]

Hello, mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap

Thank you for that, I wonder if there is some discrepancy in the size Word is providing which causes a mismatch here. Technically, PDF's A4 isn't always the same as normal A4, since PDF is a "point based" coordinate system (1pt = 1/72 of an inch) its size can sometimes be a little bit off (upwards of +/- 0.04mm) when compared to normal "metric" based page measurements. Generally a PDF's "A4" sheet is considered to be 595x842 pt; However, the 210x297mm that A4 standard is physically, would actually translate to a few decimal points off from those values. A side effect of being "too precise" I suppose.

Hopefully we can add in some soft constraints for A4 to allow it to catch properly in cases where one dimension is "very slightly" larger than expected in this way.

Kind regards,