Page Configuration

Control page size, margins, and orientation with PdfPageConfig and PdfMargins.

Built-in presets

Preset Dimensions Margins Physical Size
PdfPageConfig.A4 595 x 842 dp None 210 x 297 mm
PdfPageConfig.A4WithMargins 595 x 842 dp 72dp (1”) all sides 210 x 297 mm
PdfPageConfig.Letter 612 x 792 dp None 8.5 x 11 in
PdfPageConfig.LetterWithMargins 612 x 792 dp 72dp (1”) all sides 8.5 x 11 in
PdfPageConfig.A3 842 x 1191 dp None 297 x 420 mm
PdfPageConfig.A3WithMargins 842 x 1191 dp 72dp (1”) all sides 297 x 420 mm 
val pdf = renderToPdf(config = PdfPageConfig.A4WithMargins) {
    Text("A4 with 1-inch margins")
}
A4 (default) Letter with margins A3 landscape
A4 Letter A3 landscape
PDF PDF PDF

Compose Dp and PDF points are the same unit: 1/72 of an inch. A value of 72.dp equals exactly 1 inch in the PDF. No conversion needed.

Landscape mode

Call .landscape() on any config to swap width and height (margins are rotated too):

val pdf = renderToPdf(config = PdfPageConfig.A4.landscape()) {
    Text("Landscape A4")
}

Custom page sizes

Create any page size by specifying width and height in Dp:

val halfLetter = PdfPageConfig(
    width = 396.dp,   // 5.5 inches
    height = 612.dp,  // 8.5 inches
    margins = PdfMargins.Narrow,
)

val pdf = renderToPdf(config = halfLetter) {
    Text("Custom size")
}

Margins

Built-in presets

Preset Size Physical
PdfMargins.None 0 dp No margins
PdfMargins.Narrow 24 dp all sides ~8.5 mm / ~1/3 inch
PdfMargins.Normal 72 dp all sides 1 inch / 25.4 mm

Symmetric margins 

val margins = PdfMargins.symmetric(
    horizontal = 48.dp,  // Left and right
    vertical = 36.dp,    // Top and bottom
)

Custom margins 

val margins = PdfMargins(
    top = 72.dp,
    bottom = 48.dp,
    left = 36.dp,
    right = 36.dp,
)

val config = PdfPageConfig(
    width = 612.dp,
    height = 792.dp,
    margins = margins,
)

Adding margins to a preset 

val config = PdfPageConfig.A4.copy(margins = PdfMargins.Narrow)

Content area

After margins are applied, the usable area is available via computed properties:

val config = PdfPageConfig.A4WithMargins
println(config.contentWidth)   // 451.dp  (595 - 72 - 72)
println(config.contentHeight)  // 698.dp  (842 - 72 - 72)

Your composable content is laid out within this content area. The margin region remains blank – modifiers like Modifier.fillMaxSize() fill the content area, not the entire page.

Margins are applied at the PDF page level, not as Compose padding. This means modifiers like border() or background() on a Modifier.fillMaxSize() element produce a frame around the content area, not the page edge.

Validation

PdfPageConfig validates on construction:

  • Width and height must be positive
  • Content area after margins must be positive (margins can’t exceed the page size)
// This throws IllegalArgumentException:
PdfPageConfig(width = 100.dp, height = 100.dp, margins = PdfMargins.Normal)
// Margins (72 + 72 = 144) exceed page width (100)

See also