How to check a PDF's page count and paper size without Acrobat
Drop a PDF into the tool and it shows the page count, the size of every page in both points and millimetres, the paper format, rotation angles and metadata such as title and author. It reads only — nothing is uploaded and nothing is changed.
When you actually need this
The thing that goes wrong before printing is rarely the content — it is paper size and orientation. Checking that every page shares one size and one orientation is far cheaper than discovering a stray landscape A4 after the job is printed.
Merging, splitting and stamping page numbers all assume consistent page geometry. If an A3 or Letter page is hiding in the file, page numbers and margins will not line up after the merge.
- Before printing or sending to a print shop, confirm trim size and paper
- Before merging several PDFs, check that page sizes match
- When you receive a scan and need to know whether it is A4 or a custom size
- When hunting for landscape or rotated pages inside a document
How to read the numbers correctly
PDF measures in points: 1 pt = 1/72 inch, roughly 0.3528 mm. A4 is 595×842 pt, or 210×297 mm; Letter is 612×792 pt. If you see 842×595, that is the same sheet in landscape — width and height have swapped places.
The tool groups every page by width × height instead of reporting only the first page. Paper names are matched to the nearest standard size, so a page more than 2 pt off is labelled Custom. Scans, artboards and exports with bleed are frequently custom, and that is not a defect.
- Count the groups in the size distribution: one group means a uniform document
- A width larger than the height (842×595) marks a landscape page
- When paper shows Custom, trust the actual point or millimetre values
- Title and author can be blank if the producing software never wrote them
What it cannot do
This is a read-only inspector. It will not resize, rotate or delete pages, extract text or list fonts. A PDF with an open password fails to parse and needs to be unlocked in the original application first.
For edits, use a PDF editor; for embedded fonts and image resolution, use Acrobat's preflight or command-line tools such as pdffonts. Very large documents consume a lot of memory and can make the tab sluggish.
- Resize, rotate or remove pages: a PDF editor
- Fonts, image resolution, colour space: Acrobat preflight or CLI tools
- Encrypted files: remove the password before any parsing
FAQ
What paper size is 595×842 pt?
A4 — 210×297 mm. PDF stores length in points at 1/72 inch, and 595×842 pt converts to A4. The same sheet appears as 842×595 when placed in landscape.
Why does my PDF show Custom instead of a paper name?
Paper names come from the nearest standard size. Scans, artboards with bleed and exports from layout software often fall more than 2 pt outside the tolerance and are reported as Custom. The point and millimetre figures are still exact.
Can I see the page count of a password-protected PDF?
No. A PDF with an open password cannot be parsed and the tool will report an error. Remove the password in the application that created it, then try again.
Related tool：PDF Info