How to Print Borderless PDF Without Margins

Borderless printing only works when two things line up:

• Your PDF extends to the page edge
• Your printer has to support borderless printing for the paper size you selected.

Many printers support it for photo sizes, and some support it for Letter or A4, but it’s not universal.

Below, we’ll walk through a reliable workflow using Smallpdf, plus the printer settings that usually cause the mystery margins.

Quick Start: Print a PDF Without Margins

If you want the fastest route to a borderless test print, follow this checklist:

• Confirm your printer supports borderless printing for the exact paper size.
• Make sure your PDF artwork reaches the page edge (full bleed).
• Use Smallpdf Crop PDF to remove leftover white padding in the file.
• In the print dialog, select a paper size that includes “Borderless.”
• Set scaling to “Actual size” or 100%, and disable “Fit to printable area.”
• Print one test page and adjust borderless expansion if your driver supports it.

What Borderless Printing Really Means

Borderless printing is not just about removing margins. Most printers can’t physically print right to the edge in normal mode, so borderless mode usually enlarges the print slightly and lets ink extend beyond the cut line. That’s why you may see options like “Expansion” or “Amount of Extension” in some drivers.

This also explains two common surprises:

• Your design gets cropped a little at the edges because borderless mode enlarges it.
• Borderless options only appear for certain paper sizes and media types, often photo paper settings.

How To Print a PDF Without Margins: Step-by-Step Guide

This workflow focuses on what you can control: The PDF itself and the print dialog choices that trigger borderless mode.

Step 1: Confirm the PDF Has Full Bleed

Open the PDF and zoom in on the corners.

• If the background color or image stops before the edge, that white border is part of the file.
• A printer can’t invent a missing background at the edges, so you’ll need to adjust the PDF first.

If you’re working from a design app, export with bleed enabled. If you only have the PDF, move to the next steps.

Step 2: Extend the Background to the Page Edge in Smallpdf

If your file needs a background that reaches the edge, you can add visual elements in Smallpdf Edit PDF, like images and annotations.

A practical approach is to place a full-page background image or shape that covers the page, then put your content on top.

• Open Edit PDF.
• Upload your PDF from your device, Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
• Add a background element that reaches the page edges.

Step 3: Crop Away Leftover White Padding

If your PDF already has the correct artwork but still includes white padding, cropping is usually the fastest fix. Smallpdf Crop PDF is designed to trim margins and whitespace.

• Open Crop PDF.
• Upload your file.
• Drag the crop box to the exact edge of the content you want printed.
• Apply the crop to the pages that need to print borderless.

Tip: Crop carefully. If you crop too tight, you can cut off text or important elements.

Step 4: Save the Prepared File

Download the updated PDF and keep your original file unchanged.

• Save the edited version as your “print copy.”
• Keep the original as your fallback if you need to undo changes.

Step 5: Open the System Print Dialog

Open the PDF in your preferred viewer and print using the system dialog so you get full driver controls.

Step 5: Open the System Print Dialog

Open the PDF in your preferred viewer and print using the system dialog so you get full driver controls.

• On Windows, the system dialog often exposes more driver tabs.
• On Mac, “Show Details” in the print dialog is where the useful settings hide.

Step 6: Enable Borderless Printing and Set Paper Size

This step is the gatekeeper. If the paper size does not match a supported borderless option, borderless won’t appear.

• In Paper Size, choose an option that includes “Borderless” if available.
• If your driver only enables borderless on photo media types, change Media Type to a photo setting first.

Step 7: Fix Scaling Before You Print

Scaling is the most common reason borderless prints still show a thin frame.

• Set scaling to “Actual size” or 100%.
• Disable “Fit to printable area,” “Shrink to fit,” or similar options.
• Turn off headers and footers in the viewer print settings.
• If you print from Microsoft Edge and it keeps forcing a fit option, double-check the Edge print controls and reselect your scaling.

Step 8: Print a One-Page Test and Adjust Expansion

Print one page first and inspect all four edges.

• If you see a thin white line, increase borderless expansion if your driver includes it.
• If expansion causes cropping of important content, reduce expansion and extend your PDF background slightly beyond the edge instead.

Windows and Mac Settings That Unlock Borderless

Borderless options are usually controlled by the printer driver, not the PDF viewer.

Windows Driver Settings

A reliable path on Windows is:

• Open your printer’s “Printing Preferences.”
• Check Paper Size for “Borderless” variants.
• Look for a “Borderless Printing” checkbox or setting under Page Setup.

Canon’s guidance for PIXMA printers, for example, points you to “Preferences” > “Page Setup” and then “Borderless Printing.”

Mac Print Dialog Settings

On Mac, borderless settings often appear after you click “Show Details.”

• Verify Paper Size includes a borderless option.
• If borderless is grayed out, change Media Type to a paper type that supports it. Epson notes this behavior in their Mac print settings guidance.

Troubleshooting White Borders and Scaling Issues

Use these fixes when your output still isn’t edge-to-edge.

1. My Printer Doesn’t Show Any Borderless Options

This usually means one of three things:

• Your printer doesn’t support borderless printing for that paper size.
• The driver needs a media type change to unlock borderless sizes.
• You’re using a generic driver that hides advanced options.

Try switching to a photo media type and checking again. If your model only supports borderless photo sizes, test with 4×6 first.

2. The PDF Prints Smaller With a Thin Frame

That’s almost always scaling.

• Reopen print settings and select “Actual size” or 100%.
• Disable “Fit to printable area” and similar options.

If you print from Edge and it keeps applying fit behavior unexpectedly, revisit Edge’s print panel and reselect scaling.

3. White Border on Only One Side

This is often alignment or expansion.

• Turn on borderless expansion or adjust the amount of extension if available.
• If your driver has no expansion control, slightly oversize your background in the PDF and test again.

Epson’s guidance notes that some workflows require enlarging the image data in the application to avoid unprinted edges.

4. The PDF Itself Has White Margins

If the white margin is inside the PDF artwork, printer settings won’t fix it.

• Use Smallpdf Crop PDF to trim it away.
• Rebuild the background in Smallpdf Edit PDF so it reaches the edge.

5. Borderless Mode Crops Important Content

This happens because borderless mode enlarges the print slightly.

• Reduce borderless expansion if your driver supports it.
• Add a safe margin in your design so important content sits a little away from the edge.

Printer-Specific Tips for HP, Epson, and Canon

Brand menus vary, but the patterns are consistent.

HP

HP devices often tie borderless availability to the paper size and paper type combo. Borderless may only appear for certain sizes or photo paper settings.

If you don’t see borderless sizes, try setting Paper Type to photo paper and re-check Paper Size.

Epson

Epson drivers often include a Borderless option plus an Expansion control.

If you see borders, increase expansion slightly. If important edges get cropped, reduce expansion and adjust your PDF instead.

Canon

Canon’s guidance typically places borderless under Page Setup as “Borderless Printing,” and some models also let you control how much the image extends past the paper edge.

If the driver prompts you to change media type, follow it. Canon notes that supported paper sizes for borderless printing can be limited.

Best Practices for Full-Bleed PDFs

If you want repeatable, professional output, these habits help.

1. Design With Bleed and Keep a Safe Zone

Extend backgrounds past the edge, but keep important text and logos slightly inside the edge. Borderless printing can crop unpredictably because of expansion.

2. Match Paper Size Exactly

Export the PDF at the exact size you plan to print. If you print A4 content on Letter paper, you invite auto-scaling and borders.

3. Use High-Quality Images

If your PDF includes full-page photos or backgrounds, use high-resolution sources. Borderless printing makes softness more obvious.

4. Compress Carefully Before Sharing

If you’re sending the PDF to a print shop or a colleague, file size still matters. Compress PDF offers Basic and Strong compression options depending on your needs.

What to Check Before You Hit Print

Borderless printing works when the PDF is truly full-bleed, and the printer is set to a supported borderless mode.

• Fix the PDF first (background to edge, then crop).
• Select a borderless paper size and correct media type.
• Print at 100% and test one page before a full run.

Prep Your PDF for Borderless Printing

If your borderless option is set correctly and you still see white edges, the issue is usually due to the PDF itself.

Start by tightening the page with Smallpdf Crop PDF, then adjust backgrounds in Smallpdf Edit PDF if you need full bleed.

Once the file is right, your printer settings finally do what you expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to print a PDF with no margins?

Prep the PDF so content reaches the edge, then select a borderless paper size in your printer driver and print at 100% scale.

How to print a PDF file full page?

Choose “Actual size” or 100% and disable fit options. If your printer supports borderless for that size, select the borderless paper size variant.

How do you remove borders from a PDF?

If the white border is part of the PDF, crop it out with Smallpdf Crop PDF. If it’s caused by scaling, fix print settings instead.

How do you make a PDF borderless?

A PDF becomes borderless when the artwork reaches the page edge with no internal padding. Then it’s ready for borderless printing modes.

How do I turn off borders when printing?

You can’t “turn off” physical printable-area limits in normal mode. You need a supported borderless setting for your paper size and the correct media type to unlock it.