Apple Notes PDF export shrunken with whitespace on iPad after iPadOS upgrade

Perhaps I misunderstand your description, but I am unable to replicate the behaviour that you appear to describe.

When I use the Notes App Share button to print a long note, the note is obviously paginated per the selected paper-size/print options.

Consider that in addition to selecting Paper Size for the print output, you also have the page Scaling option that can be used to change the relative page scaling. The scale-factor influences both actual printed output (using an actual printer) or:

a) directly creating a PDF file using the Share button from the Print Options page, or

b) indirectly generating a PDF file using a reverse-pinch action on any of the thumbnail page-previews

Rolling-back to an earlier version of iOS/iPadOS is not possible. All System Updates are digitally signed by Apple - and can only be installed whilst the digital signatures remain valid. After release of a new iOS/iPadOS version, the immediately preceding version continues to be digitally signed by Apple - however, usually within a few days, Apple will revoke the digital certificate with which the earlier version is signed.

Perhaps consider that iOS/iPadOS updates include both functional and essential security updates. Restoring an earlier version of the OS would expose your device, privacy and data to emerging and known security threats and vulnerabilities.

Thank you for the additional explanation and screenshots. This greatly helps with understanding your workflow.

The Print-dialogue Scaling option is clearly not intended (or able) to remedy the problem that you now clearly illustrate.

Despite considerable effort to do so, as yet, I remain unable to replicate the specific scaling issue that you illustrate. I have taken sample notes from my own iPad - and systematically tried every combination of markup, markdown and associated methods of creating a PDF export that I can conceive...

While export markup/markdown does, seemingly intentionally, reduce the page scaling and introduce whitespace to the right of the text (presumably to accommodate additional drawn or handwritten material), I have not reproduced the very significant scaling reduction that you clearly illustrate in your screenshot.

For reference, for the purpose of this exercise, I am using an iPad Pro 12.9" M1 with iPadOS 27.0.1 installed.

Whilst I will continue to explore this issue as time permits, in the meantime I strongly recommend that you seek technical assistance directly from Apple Support. Be aware that if the Level #1 assistance/triage that you will initially receive doesn't provide a ready solution to the issue, you may need to constructively request escalation to a specialist that can better investigate and explore the problem with you. This escalation, if needed, may take some polite persistence on your part.

You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page. Alternatively you can initiate and manage your support cases from Apple devices using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

Whatever the outcome, please return here with any new information that you encounter - either from Apple Support or through your own experimentation - as this will no doubt help others that encounter a similar issue. I will also endeavour to return here if I should uncover something that may help - or to respond to any updates that you may be able to add.

Just in case you missed it, here is a direct link to the relevant section of the iPad User Guide that discussed export of Notes to Pages, PDF and markdown files:

Export or print notes on iPad - Apple Support