The Page group in Design sets up the paper your resume is printed on: its size, its margins, the language of the words Reactive Resume adds for you, and whether contact details show icons and underlined links.
Open the Page group#
In the editor, select Design (or press 2), then select Page in the row of links at the top of the panel.
Choose the paper size#
Under Paper, select Letter, A4 or Free-form.
| Paper | Size | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Letter | 8.5 × 11 in (216 × 279 mm) | You’re applying in the United States or Canada. |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | You’re applying almost anywhere else. |
| Free-form | A4 width, as tall as its content | Your resume is only read on screen. |
Your content keeps its place when you switch. Because Letter is shorter and wider than A4, entries can move between pages, so check the page breaks afterwards.
Free-form: one long page#
Free-form is for resumes that are only read on screen. It keeps the A4 width, but each page grows as tall as its content needs, so nothing ever runs onto an extra page. Each page is at least as tall as an A4 page.
A free-form resume prints poorly, because printers cut it into paper-sized pieces wherever it happens to break. Use Letter or A4 if anyone might print it, or if a job asks for a one- or two-page resume.
Set the language#
Choose a language under Language. It changes the words Reactive Resume writes for you, such as the default section titles (“Experience”, “Education”) and date words (month names, “Present”). It doesn’t translate what you wrote.
The language also:
- sets the rules Hyphenation uses, if you turn it on in Advanced → Typography;
- mirrors the layout for right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, so a left sidebar moves to the right.
To show dates as “Mar 2022”, “March 2022”, “03/2022” or “2022-03”, use Date format in Advanced. See Entering dates.
Choose margins#
Under Margins, select Narrow, Normal or Wide. Margins are the white space around the page edges. They also set the gap between a template’s columns, below the header and between sections.
| Margins | Left and right | Top and bottom |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow | 10 pt | 8 pt |
| Normal | 14 pt | 12 pt |
| Wide | 19 pt | 16 pt |
If you type exact margins in Advanced that don’t match one of these, none of the three is selected.
Show or hide icons and link underlines#
- Icons in contact line shows small icons next to your email, phone, location and links. It also controls the icons on skills, profiles and interests.
- Underline links underlines your website and other links on the page.
Exact page settings#
Advanced → Page holds the exact values behind the Page group, plus a few extras:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Horizontal margin / Vertical margin | Exact margins, from 0 to 100 pt. |
| Horizontal spacing | Space between items that sit side by side, for example in a section shown in several columns. |
| Vertical spacing | Space in and between entries. Density in the Type group sets this too. The space between sections comes from Vertical margin. |
| Underline links | The same switch as Underline links in the Page group. Turn it off to remove link underlines. |
| Show icons | The same as Icons in contact line. Turn it off to hide those icons. |
| Show section icons | Shows the small icon before each section heading. Turn it off to hide them. You choose each section’s icon from its ⋯ menu in Write, with Icon…. |
Cover letters have the same Page controls in their own Design mode. See Writing a cover letter.
Related guides#
- Fitting content on a page: use margins and other settings to stay within your pages.
- Arranging the layout: columns, sidebar and multi-page layouts.
- Exporting your resume: download the PDF in the paper size you chose.