How to print printables well

A4 and US Letter

Two paper sizes cover almost all home printing. A4 is the international standard (ISO 216) and the everyday size in the UK, Europe and most of the world. US Letter is the everyday size in the United States and Canada.

The difference looks small but it matters. Letter is about 6 mm wider than A4, and A4 is about 18 mm taller than Letter. Print an A4 page on Letter paper at full size and the top or bottom can be cut off; print a Letter page on A4 at full size and the sides can be clipped.

Each A size is half the one before it, and all of them share the same proportions. A5 (148 × 210 mm) is half of A4, and A3 (297 × 420 mm) is double. That means an A4 page shrinks neatly to A5 at 71% or grows to A3 at 141%, without stretching.

The simple rule: if a printable comes in A4 and US Letter versions, print the one that matches the paper in your printer. If it only comes in the other size, use Fit scaling, below.

Scaling: Fit or Actual size?

The print window decides how the page is sized on the paper. The wording varies between programs, but the choices are usually these:

• Actual size or 100% prints the page at exactly the size it was made. Use it when measurements matter: templates, cut-out shapes, cards that must fit a sleeve, or anything with a ruler or scale bar.
• Fit (or Fit to printable area) shrinks or enlarges the page to fit the paper. Use it when the file and the paper are different sizes.
• Shrink oversized pages, in Adobe Acrobat Reader, shrinks only pages that are too big for the paper and leaves the rest at full size.
• Custom scale lets you choose a percentage, such as 71% to fit an A4 page onto A5 paper.

Most home printers can’t print right to the edge of the sheet, and leave a narrow blank margin of a few millimetres. If something close to the edge goes missing, switch to Fit and print again.

If a printable includes a measuring line, check it with a ruler after printing. If it measures true, your scaling is right.

Paper weight

Paper weight is given in grams per square metre (gsm). In the United States it is often given in pounds instead: 20 lb bond is about 75 gsm, and 24 lb bond is about 90 gsm.

Check the heaviest paper your printer can take before buying card; the manual or the maker’s website will say. Many printers handle card better through a rear or manual feed, one sheet at a time.

Ink and colour

• Preview first. The print preview shows how the page will land on the paper, before you use any ink.
• Print a test page. One page tells you whether the size, margins and colours are right.
• Choose a page range. In a long pack, print only the pages you need, for example 2, 5–7.
• Use greyscale or draft mode for worksheets and puzzles. Colouring pages are line drawings, so black ink is all they need.
• Keep full colour for posters, covers and cards that will be on show.

Double-sided printing

If your printer prints on both sides, it will ask which edge to flip on. Choose long edge for normal portrait pages, so the back reads the right way up like a book. Choose short edge for landscape pages that flip upwards like a wall calendar.

No double-sided printer? Print the odd pages, put the stack back in the tray, then print the even pages. Try it with two pages first to learn which way round your printer needs the paper.

Some PDF readers, including Adobe Acrobat Reader, have a Booklet option that arranges pages so a folded stack reads in order.

Making it last

For a worksheet, chart or planner page you want to use again and again, put it in a clear plastic sleeve or laminate it, then write on it with a dry-wipe pen. It wipes clean, ready for the next go. Card, a little tape on the corners, or a clipboard helps pages survive busy hands.

Quick checklist

1. Is the file the same size as the paper in the tray (A4 or US Letter)?
2. Is scaling set to Fit, or to Actual size if measurements matter?
3. Have you printed one test page?
4. Have you chosen only the pages you need?
5. Is the paper or card weight one your printer supports?
6. Colour or greyscale?

Every printable comes with its own terms that say how you may print and share it. Most are for personal or classroom use.