2026-04-04

How to Print Templates at the Correct Size (Without Shrinking)

If a printed grid looks slightly small, the file is probably fine. The print dialog scaled it.

The three settings that matter

1. Paper size in the dialog matches the sheet in the tray (A4 or Letter — pick one, not both).
2. Scale is 100% / Actual size, not Fit, Shrink to fit, or “Fit to printable area.”
3. Background graphics is on if you used a cream fill or very light gray lines.

Chrome and Edge hide some of this under “More settings.” Adobe Reader calls it “Actual size” under Page Sizing. Safari users: uncheck “Print headers and footers” if you don’t want extra chrome eating the margin.

PDF vs PNG

Download PDF when you care about millimeters. It’s vector; 8 mm ruling stays 8 mm at any zoom. PNG is a 2× bitmap — handy in Notion or a slide, not the first choice for a precise grid.

Still off by a few millimeters?

Some printers refuse to print to the edge and the driver shrinks the whole page to protect a hardware margin. In that case, increase the template’s margins in the generator instead of scaling. That keeps line spacing honest.

Generate a test sheet from lined paper or graph paper, print one page, and measure a few lines with a ruler before you run a whole class set.

Related tool:Try a template →