If a fax you sent or received looks shrunken, rotated, or has content cut off at the edges, the cause is almost always a mismatch between the page size or orientation of the source document and what the fax network or receiving device expects.
Fax appears shrunk or smaller than expected
Why it happens: The fax standard uses a fixed page width. If the source document is formatted for a wide page (e.g. A3, US Legal, Ledger/Tabloid) or uses landscape orientation, the fax network scales it down to fit within the standard fax width. The result is smaller text and reduced margins on the received page.
How to fix it:
- Format your document for A4 or US Letter (8.5" × 11") before sending. This is the page size the fax standard is designed around.
- If your document is in landscape orientation, rotate it to portrait before sending where possible.
- When exporting to PDF, set the page size explicitly to A4 or Letter in your export settings — don't rely on the default.
Fax appears sideways (rotated 90°)
Why it happens: This happens when a landscape-formatted document is sent without rotation correction. The fax network transmits the page as-is, and the receiving device renders it sideways because fax assumes portrait orientation.
How to fix it:
- Open your document, rotate it to portrait orientation, and re-save before sending.
- In PDF applications, check that the page rotation metadata is set correctly (not just visually rotated in the viewer).
- If you scanned a physical document, make sure it was placed on the scanner in portrait orientation, or rotate the resulting image before sending.
Fax content is cut off or cropped at the edges
Why it happens: Fax transmission uses fixed horizontal and vertical resolution bands. If your document has very narrow margins (less than ~10mm / 0.4") or content that extends to the edge of the page, it may be clipped during transmission or by the recipient's printer.
How to fix it:
- Ensure your document has margins of at least 10–15mm (0.5") on all sides.
- In word processors and design tools, check that no text or images overlap the page margins.
- If content was cropped on only one side, the document may not be centred on the page — check alignment.
The fax looks fine in Fax.Plus but the recipient says it's cut off or wrong size
If the fax preview in your Fax.Plus Sent folder looks correct but the recipient reports a layout problem, the issue is on the recipient's side:
- Their fax machine or service may be scaling the page to fit their paper size (e.g. scaling A4 down to fit Letter, or vice versa).
- Their printer settings may be trimming margins. This is outside Fax.Plus's control.
- Ask the recipient to check their device's paper size and scaling settings, or to use an online fax service to receive instead of a physical machine.
Quick checklist before sending
- Document formatted for A4 or US Letter ✓
- Portrait orientation ✓
- Margins of at least 10–15mm on all sides ✓
- Content saved as a PDF from the original source (not a photo or screenshot) ✓
- No content overlapping page edges ✓
For issues with fax legibility (blurry, faded, or low contrast), see My fax came through with quality issues (faded, blurry, illegible).