What PDF tool can I use if I need it to be bigger?
this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2025
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I wanted to say "[citation needed]", this seems to be straight from Wikipedia (which it is, it's the last paragraph of the "File format" section).
Unfortunately there's no clear basis for this information, except a reference to the (entire) "PDF Reference".
The article image is essentially identical, but it's not the same and must have been remade at some point. I wonder if the wiki editor lives at the centre of the square?
From the reference document:
"Implementation limits", p. 991ff:
PDF itself has one architectural limit: Because ten digits are allocated to byte off-sets, the size of a file is limited to 1010 bytes (approximately 10 gigabytes).
and
The minimum allowed page size is 3 by 3 units in default user space; the maximum is 14,400 by 14,400 units. [...] Beginning with PDF 1.6, the size of the unit may be set on a page-by-page basis; the default remains at 1/72 inch. (See implementation note 177 in Appendix H.)
That implementation note, by the way, roughly states that "the UserUnit entry of the page dictionary" is more or less a dimension multiplier, and that:
Acrobat 7.0 supports a maximum UserUnit value of 75,000, which gives a maximum page dimension of 15,000,000 inches (14,400 * 75,000 * 1 ⁄ 72).
and
The magnification factor of a view is constrained to be between approximately 8 percent and 6400 percent. These limits are not fixed; they vary with the size of the page being displayed, as well as with the size of the pages previously viewed within the file.
All in all, dealing with a page of such humongous dimensions sounds rather bothersome.
Another win for FOSS /hj
A pdf larger than Austria… I assume just geographical area not surface area though
Bit ironic that the max size is measured in inches and the overlay is shown on Europe
It was probably made during an argument between a European and a Texan to demonstrate how far an average Texan must to drive to get to their nearest grocery store and why high-speed rail just won't work in the US.
Does that mean that you can't have a 1:1 map of daggerfall as a PDF?
So, don't use Adobe to create my detailed map of the world in a PDF file - got it.
Phew, easy mistake to make.
My hard drive is starting to cry just looking at that.
15.000.001in*15.000.001in
cry more
Is there even a computer that can load such a PDF
Yes, it's all vector graphics. It doesn't matter how big the scale is.
This only matters if the pdf has a simple square in it. When it's an actual scale map, with 1cm detail, it will still be a huge pdf even if it's vectors.
Sure. It's all about the level of detail. An 8-1/2x11" pdf with lots of very small detail that you have to zoom way in to see would also be a very big file.
PDFs routinely contain bitmaps - most commonly in the form of JPEG.
True, but that's independent of the pdf page size. If there's a 1e12x1e12 complex jpeg image even on a small pdf page, it would still be a huge file.
oh, so it would be small filesize, just the scroll bar would be very tiny and take a long time to move
It would be small file size and automatically scaled to fit on your screen, just like normal. If you zoom in an insane amount, you’d have huge scroll bars, just like normal.
in what sense is the page dimension that big then, is it just an arbitrary unit, or something to determine print size?
Yup, exactly that. To determine print size.
How big would the file be?
How long would it take to paint a 145,000 km^2 canvas? It depends how much detail you add.
Probably small. If it just had a single circle at each corner it’s just 4 objects with really far positioning values.
You could fill it with more stuff to make it bigger, of course