Configuring Page Size, Orientation, and Margins

pdfmake gives you full control over the physical shape of your document. You can choose from dozens of standard paper sizes, rotate the page, fine-tune margins, and even switch page settings mid-document using sections. All of these are top-level keys in your document definition object.

`pageSize` — Choosing a paper size

Set pageSize to a string matching one of pdfmake’s built-in size names, or supply a custom { width, height } object. Dimensions in the built-in table are given in PDF points (1 pt ≈ 0.353 mm).

Standard page sizes

pdfmake ships with the following named sizes, sourced directly from standardPageSizes.js:

Name	Width (pt)	Height (pt)	Common use
`4A0`	4767.87	6740.79	Large-format printing
`2A0`	3370.39	4767.87	Large-format printing
`A0`	2383.94	3370.39	Posters
`A1`	1683.78	2383.94	Posters
`A2`	1190.55	1683.78	Technical drawings
`A3`	841.89	1190.55	Spreadsheets
`A4`	595.28	841.89	Standard document (default)
`A5`	419.53	595.28	Booklets
`A6`	297.64	419.53	Postcards
`A7`	209.76	297.64	Notes
`A8`	147.40	209.76	Business cards
`A9`	104.88	147.40	Labels
`A10`	73.70	104.88	Labels
`B0`	2834.65	4008.19	ISO B series
`B1`	2004.09	2834.65	ISO B series
`B2`	1417.32	2004.09	ISO B series
`B3`	1000.63	1417.32	ISO B series
`B4`	708.66	1000.63	ISO B series
`B5`	498.90	708.66	Books
`B6`	354.33	498.90	ISO B series
`B7`	249.45	354.33	ISO B series
`B8`	175.75	249.45	ISO B series
`B9`	124.72	175.75	ISO B series
`B10`	87.87	124.72	ISO B series
`C0`	2599.37	3676.54	ISO C (envelope) series
`C1`	1836.85	2599.37	ISO C series
`C2`	1298.27	1836.85	ISO C series
`C3`	918.43	1298.27	ISO C series
`C4`	649.13	918.43	Envelopes for A4
`C5`	459.21	649.13	Envelopes for A5
`C6`	323.15	459.21	Envelopes for A6
`C7`	229.61	323.15	ISO C series
`C8`	161.57	229.61	ISO C series
`C9`	113.39	161.57	ISO C series
`C10`	79.37	113.39	ISO C series
`RA0`	2437.80	3458.27	Raw (untrimmed) A series
`RA1`	1729.13	2437.80	Raw A series
`RA2`	1218.90	1729.13	Raw A series
`RA3`	864.57	1218.90	Raw A series
`RA4`	609.45	864.57	Raw A series
`SRA0`	2551.18	3628.35	Supplementary raw A
`SRA1`	1814.17	2551.18	Supplementary raw A
`SRA2`	1275.59	1814.17	Supplementary raw A
`SRA3`	907.09	1275.59	Supplementary raw A
`SRA4`	637.80	907.09	Supplementary raw A
`EXECUTIVE`	521.86	756.00	US Executive
`FOLIO`	612.00	936.00	US Folio
`LEGAL`	612.00	1008.00	US Legal
`LETTER`	612.00	792.00	US Letter
`TABLOID`	792.00	1224.00	US Tabloid / Ledger

const docDefinition = {
  pageSize: 'A4',   // portrait A4 — the default
  content: [ /* ... */ ]
};

Custom page size

Pass an object with explicit width and height values (in PDF points) to define a non-standard page size:

const docDefinition = {
  pageSize: { width: 595.28, height: 420 },  // custom half-A4 landscape
  content: [ /* ... */ ]
};

PDF points are the native unit pdfmake uses internally. To convert from millimetres: pt = mm * 2.8346.

`pageOrientation` — Portrait or landscape

Set pageOrientation to 'portrait' (default) or 'landscape'. When set to 'landscape', pdfmake swaps the width and height of the chosen page size:

const docDefinition = {
  pageSize: 'A4',
  pageOrientation: 'landscape',
  content: [ /* ... */ ]
};

`pageMargins` — Controlling white space

pageMargins defines the inset from each edge of the page to the content area. It accepts three forms:

Single number — uniform margins

pageMargins: 40   // 40 pt on all four sides

Two-element array — horizontal and vertical

pageMargins: [40, 60]   // [left/right, top/bottom]

Four-element array — individual sides

pageMargins: [40, 60, 40, 60]  // [left, top, right, bottom]

const docDefinition = {
  pageSize: 'A4',
  pageMargins: [40, 60, 40, 60],
  content: [ /* ... */ ]
};

If pageMargins is omitted, pdfmake uses a built-in default margin.

Document sections

For advanced documents that mix page sizes, orientations, or per-section headers and footers, pdfmake supports sections. A section is a content node with a section array in place of the usual node-type key. Each section node can override pageSize, pageOrientation, pageMargins, header, footer, background, and watermark. The following example is drawn directly from examples/sections.js:

const docDefinition = {
  header: function () { return 'default header'; },
  footer: function () { return 'default footer'; },
  background: function () { return { text: 'global background', alignment: 'right' }; },
  watermark: 'default watermark',
  content: [
    // Section 1 — inherits all document-level layout settings
    {
      section: [
        'SECTION 1',
        'Text in section.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 2 — landscape, with its own header/footer/background/watermark
    {
      header: function (currentPage, pageCount) {
        return 'header: ' + currentPage.toString() + ' of ' + pageCount;
      },
      footer: function (currentPage, pageCount) {
        return 'footer: ' + currentPage.toString() + ' of ' + pageCount;
      },
      background: function () { return { text: 'SECTION 2 background', alignment: 'right' }; },
      watermark: 'SECTION 2 watermark',
      pageOrientation: 'landscape',
      section: [
        'SECTION 2',
        'Text in section as landscape page.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 3 — A7 portrait, no header/footer/watermark/background
    {
      header: null,
      footer: null,
      background: null,
      watermark: null,
      pageSize: 'A7',
      pageOrientation: 'portrait',
      section: [
        'SECTION 3',
        'Text in section as A7 page.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 4 — A6 portrait with tight margins
    {
      watermark: 'inherit',
      pageSize: 'A6',
      pageOrientation: 'portrait',
      pageMargins: 5,
      section: [
        'SECTION 4',
        'Text in section as A6 page with margin.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 5 — A6 landscape
    {
      watermark: 'watermark for inherit',
      pageSize: 'A6',
      pageOrientation: 'landscape',
      pageMargins: 10,
      section: [
        'SECTION 5',
        'Text in section as A6 landscape page with margin.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 6 — explicitly inherit all settings from the previous section
    {
      watermark: 'inherit',
      pageSize: 'inherit',
      pageOrientation: 'inherit',
      pageMargins: 'inherit',
      section: [
        'SECTION 6',
        'Text in section with page definition as previous page. Page size, orientation and margins are inherited.'
      ]
    },

    // Section 7 — uses its own header/footer; page size falls back to document default
    {
      header: function (currentPage, pageCount) {
        return 'header in section 8: ' + currentPage.toString() + ' of ' + pageCount;
      },
      footer: function (currentPage, pageCount) {
        return 'footer in section 8: ' + currentPage.toString() + ' of ' + pageCount;
      },
      section: [
        'SECTION 7',
        'Text in section with page definition as defined in document.'
      ]
    }
  ]
};

Setting a section property to the string 'inherit' explicitly copies that setting from the previous section. Setting it to null removes the inherited value (e.g., suppresses the document watermark for that section).

Section override precedence

Each section can specify its own values for:

Property	Description
`pageSize`	Paper size for this section’s pages
`pageOrientation`	`'portrait'`, `'landscape'`, or `'inherit'`
`pageMargins`	Margins for this section’s pages
`header`	Header function, `null` to suppress, or omit to use the document default
`footer`	Footer function, `null` to suppress, or omit to use the document default
`background`	Background function, `null` to suppress
`watermark`	Watermark text/object, `null` to suppress, `'inherit'` to copy previous

`pageBreakBefore` callback

The pageBreakBefore function at the document level lets you insert dynamic page breaks based on context. pdfmake calls it before placing each node and passes the node’s info along with an object containing three lazy getter functions. Return true to force a page break before that node:

const docDefinition = {
  content: [ /* ... */ ],
  pageBreakBefore: function (currentNode, { getFollowingNodesOnPage, getNodesOnNextPage, getPreviousNodesOnPage }) {
    // Avoid orphaned headings: break before a heading if it's the last node on a page
    return currentNode.headlineLevel === 1 && getFollowingNodesOnPage().length === 0;
  }
};

The callback receives:

Argument	Description
`currentNode`	The node info object pdfmake is about to place
`getFollowingNodesOnPage()`	Lazy getter — returns nodes already assigned to the current page after `currentNode`
`getNodesOnNextPage()`	Lazy getter — returns nodes that will flow onto the next page
`getPreviousNodesOnPage()`	Lazy getter — returns nodes already placed on the current page before `currentNode`

The three context helpers are getter functions, not plain arrays. Always call them — getFollowingNodesOnPage() — rather than accessing them as properties.

The pageBreakBefore callback is invoked for every node in the document. Keep the function lightweight — avoid expensive computations or side effects.

Putting it all together

Here is a complete example combining page size, orientation, margins, a dynamic header, and a watermark:

const docDefinition = {
  pageSize: 'A4',
  pageOrientation: 'portrait',
  pageMargins: [40, 80, 40, 60],

  header: function (currentPage, pageCount) {
    return {
      text: 'My Report — Page ' + currentPage + ' of ' + pageCount,
      alignment: 'right',
      margin: [0, 20, 40, 0]
    };
  },

  footer: function (currentPage) {
    return {
      text: 'Confidential — Page ' + currentPage,
      alignment: 'center',
      fontSize: 8
    };
  },

  watermark: { text: 'DRAFT', color: 'red', opacity: 0.15, bold: true },

  content: [
    { text: 'Annual Report 2024', style: 'title' },
    'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...'
  ],

  styles: {
    title: { fontSize: 24, bold: true, alignment: 'center', margin: [0, 0, 0, 20] }
  }
};

Next steps

Overview

See how page layout keys fit into the full document definition structure.

Content Nodes

Learn how to build the content array with text, images, tables, lists, and columns.

Getting Started

Document Definition

Content Elements

Advanced Features

API Reference

Configuring Page Size, Orientation, and Margins

`pageSize` — Choosing a paper size

Standard page sizes

Custom page size

`pageOrientation` — Portrait or landscape

`pageMargins` — Controlling white space

Document sections

Section override precedence

`pageBreakBefore` callback

Putting it all together

Next steps

Overview

Content Nodes

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Document Definition

Content Elements

Advanced Features

API Reference

Documentation Index

​pageSize — Choosing a paper size

​Standard page sizes

​Custom page size

​pageOrientation — Portrait or landscape

​pageMargins — Controlling white space

​Document sections

​Section override precedence

​pageBreakBefore callback

​Putting it all together

​Next steps

Overview

Content Nodes

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

`pageSize` — Choosing a paper size

Standard page sizes

Custom page size

`pageOrientation` — Portrait or landscape

`pageMargins` — Controlling white space

Document sections

Section override precedence

`pageBreakBefore` callback

Putting it all together

Next steps