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IEEE Page Size Incorrect: Complete Fixing Guide

What This Page Covers

Use this page when the submission failed because the PDF dimensions do not match the venue or template requirements.

When to Use This Page

Use this page if you need to understand:

  • why page-size mismatch is a separate problem from margin or template mismatch
  • how to correct the document size at source rather than only in the exported PDF
  • which adjacent IEEE checks to run after fixing page dimensions

The "Incorrect Page Size" error is a frequent cause for IEEE PDF eXpress rejection. IEEE requires almost all conference and journal submissions to be formatted as US Letter (8.5" x 11" / 215.9 mm x 279.4 mm).

Common Failure Pattern

This error often appears when:

  • the source document was built on A4 and exported without changing the template
  • the paper size was corrected late, but margins or layout were not revalidated
  • the PDF printer or export tool used a default page setup that overrode document settings

Why Page Size Matters in IEEE Submissions

Many international authors default to A4 (8.27" x 11.69") page size, which is the standard in most of the world. However, IEEE's automated publishing systems are calibrated for US Letter. If a PDF is submitted in A4 or any other size: - Layout Shifts: Text and figures may be cut off during printing. - Margin Violations: Changing page size without adjusting margins often leads to "Margin Mismatch" errors. - Archival Inconsistency: IEEE Xplore requires a uniform digital format for its library.

How to Check Your PDF Page Size

Before submitting, verify the page size of your PDF: 1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Reader. 2. Go to File > Properties > Description. 3. Look for "Page Size" in the "Advanced" section. It must be 8.5 x 11 in.

How to Fix Page Size in LaTeX

LaTeX users often encounter this error when their TeX distribution defaults to A4.

1. Specify Letterpaper in Document Class

Ensure your preamble explicitly requests letterpaper:

\documentclass[10pt, conference, letterpaper]{IEEEtran}

2. Configure the Geometry Package

If the document class alone doesn't fix it, use the geometry package:

\usepackage[letterpaper, left=0.625in, right=0.625in, bottom=1in, top=0.75in]{geometry}

3. Check Compiler Settings (dvips / ps2pdf)

If you are using the LaTeX -> DVI -> PS -> PDF workflow, ensure your tools are set to Letter:

dvips -t letter -o paper.ps paper.dvi
ps2pdf -sPAPERSIZE=letter paper.ps paper.pdf

How to Fix Page Size in Microsoft Word

  1. Change Layout Size: Go to Layout > Size and select Letter (8.5" x 11").
  2. Adjust Margins: After changing the size, verify that your margins still match the IEEE template (usually 0.75" top, 1" bottom, 0.625" sides).
  3. Printer Settings: Sometimes Word's "Save as PDF" uses the default printer's paper size. Go to File > Print, select "Microsoft Print to PDF" or "Adobe PDF", and ensure the "Printer Properties" or "Page Setup" is set to Letter.

Technical Validation with PDF eXpress

If you cannot resolve the page size issue locally, use IEEE's tools:

  1. Upload Source Files: Uploading your LaTeX source (ZIP) or Word file (.docx) to PDF eXpress is the most reliable method. The server will automatically generate a PDF with the correct US Letter dimensions.
  2. Check the PDF Report: If the validation fails, the report will specify exactly what the detected page size was (e.g., "A4" or "Custom").

Why This Is Not the Same as Margin or Template Mismatch

  • Page size incorrect means the physical document dimensions are wrong.
  • Margin mismatch means content placement violates the white-space rules, even if page size is correct.
  • Template mismatch means the document structure or template source is wrong, which may cause page-size problems but is not identical to them.

These issues often travel together, but they should be diagnosed in sequence rather than treated as one error.

What to Check Next

  • Check IEEE margin mismatch after correcting page size, because layout often shifts when dimensions change.
  • Check IEEE template mismatch if the wrong venue template or outdated source file caused the geometry problem.
  • Check IEEE font not embedded if you regenerated the PDF with a new export workflow.
  • Return to the IEEE hub if more than one validation failure remains.

Back to: IEEE Submission Hub