In the world of books, “resize” usually refers to making a book physically smaller. There are several reasons why this might be done – it can make a book more portable or reduce printing and shipping costs, for example. At other times, resizing may be necessary to ensure that a whole new print run will fit onto shelves designed for different formats.
There are many ways to resize a book; one standard method is simply trimming down the margins at the edges of each page.
Typically, resizing occurs when we want to find an easier or cheaper way of producing something. If we turn what was once a hardback into a paperback form, its dimensions must change. In contrast, if we make trade paperbacks rather than regular ones, we’ll probably have to shrink them further so they don’t get too thick.
But sometimes books even get resized just because someone has decided they ought to look different in some way: hence pages being made narrower so you can bind them with fancy borders instead (as happens with special editions) or more comprehensive so that there’s scope for adding more illustrations (a strategy beloved by publishers producing ‘deluxe’ volumes).
Resizing isn’t just important – it’s vital – when it comes to books and publishing generally, ensuring that everything fits target readerships properly is critical. Suppose children’s classics are getting shrunk small enough for little hands. In that case, adult titles are increasing so older people can read their text without squinting!