A document comparison system compares revisions of a document by comparing content of a first revision of an object with content of a second revision of the object to produce a comparison object in a comparison document. The system then determines a footprint of the second revision of the object, where the footprint is a dimensional length and width of the object and its position relative to a page boundary of the document. Next, the system determines whether the entire compared content fits within the footprint of the second revision of the object. If the system determines that the entire compared content fits within the footprint of the second revision of the object, the system displays the comparison object having the same footprint as the second revision of the object. If the system determines that the entire compared content does not fit within the footprint of the second revision of the object, the system then displays the comparison object in a second manner.