How to print at actual size, and check it with a ruler
By Dexaloop · Updated 27 October 2026 · Checked against the sources listed below
To print at actual size, open the print dialog, find the scale or page sizing setting, and choose "Actual size" or "100%" instead of "Fit to page", "Fit to printable area" or "Shrink to fit". Then check that the paper size in the dialog matches the paper in the tray, and print a test page. Measure a known length on it with a ruler. If it matches, your setup prints true to size.
This matters for anything with a scale: graph paper, handwriting sheets, templates, labels, sewing patterns and plans. A 3% shrink is invisible to the eye but turns a 10 cm line into 9.7 cm.
Why printers resize pages
Every page in a PDF or document has a size stored in the file. The printer has paper of a certain size, and it cannot print right to the edge. When the two do not match, software tries to help by scaling the page to fit. That help is the problem.
Microsoft's help page for printing in Edge describes the fit option plainly: it "will automatically adjust the size of the content to fit within the printable area of the paper." Because the printable area is always a little smaller than the sheet, fitting to it almost always shrinks the page, even when the file and the paper are the same size.
Printer drivers do the same thing at a lower level. Canon's driver guide explains that with fit to page turned on, "When the Printer Paper Size is smaller than the Page Size, the page image will be reduced." The reverse also applies: a small page on big paper gets enlarged.
Where the setting lives
| Where you print from | Setting to look for | Choose |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge (web pages and PDFs) | Scale, under the print options | Actual size |
| Preview on a Mac | Scale, or Scale to Fit | Scale, set to 100% |
| PDF readers | Page sizing, or Size | Actual size |
| Printer driver (Properties or Preferences) | Page layout, Resizing, or Fit to page | Turn the fit option off |
Microsoft Edge
Edge offers three scale choices. Microsoft says "Actual size" "prints the document in its original size without any scaling." Fit to printable area shrinks it, and Custom lets you type a percentage. Microsoft also advises a test print before printing a large batch.
Preview on a Mac
Apple's Preview guide gives two routes. Choose Scale and type a percentage, or choose Scale to Fit, which Apple describes as the way to fill as much of the paper as possible. For true size, choose Scale and enter 100. Scale to Fit is the one to avoid for measured work.
The printer driver
Your printer's own settings window, reached through Properties, Preferences or the printer section of the print dialog, can have its own fit option. If it is on, it can resize the page after the app has already sent it at 100%. If prints are still off after you set the app correctly, look here next.
Margins and the printable area
Desktop printers have a strip at each edge where they cannot print. Epson's specification for one of its office inkjets lists margins of "0.12 inch (3 mm) minimum" on all four sides for single sheets with borders. Microsoft notes that "Many printers have a minimum margin requirement of around 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) on all sides."
This is why a file designed with content to the very edge gets either clipped at 100% or shrunk by fit to page. A well-made printable keeps its content inside a margin wider than any printer needs. Then actual size prints everything, and there is no reason to scale.
Margins in the print dialog (such as Edge's Default, None and Minimum options) apply mainly to web pages, which have no fixed page size. A PDF already has its margins built in.
Worked example: checking a print with a ruler
You print a sheet of 5 mm graph paper that has a 10 cm check line along the bottom. You lay a steel ruler on it.
- It measures 100 mm. The print is at 100%. Done.
- It measures 97 mm. The page was scaled to 97 / 100 = 97%. That is typical of fit to printable area on a page that was already the right size. Each 5 mm square is now 4.85 mm.
- It measures 94 mm. That is about 94%, the scale you get when an A4 page is fitted onto US Letter paper. The paper size in the dialog is probably wrong for the file.
- It measures 100 mm but the grid is clipped at one edge. Scale is correct but the file's content reaches into the printer's unprintable margin.
Measure the longest length you can. On a short line, a 1 mm error is hard to see. On a 100 mm line, 1 mm is exactly 1%, which is easy to read.
Step by step: a reliable true-size print
- Make or download the file for the paper you will actually use, A4 or Letter.
- Open it in a PDF viewer, not in an image viewer.
- Open the print dialog. Set the paper size to match the paper in the tray.
- Set scale or page sizing to Actual size or 100%. Turn off fit to page, shrink to fit and fit to printable area.
- If your printer's own Properties window has a fit option, turn it off too.
- Print one page and measure a known length with a ruler before printing more.
Common mistakes
- Measuring with a cloth tape or a cheap plastic ruler. These can stretch or be printed slightly off. Use a steel ruler for the check.
- Checking only one direction. Measure across and down the page. Scaling can differ between the two if the page was stretched to fill the paper.
- Printing from a photo app. Image printing often offers fill or fit choices, such as Apple's Fill Entire Paper. Use a PDF viewer for anything to scale.
- Assuming last time's setting stuck. Different apps keep their own print settings, and a new app or a new printer starts from its own default. Look at the setting every time it matters.
- Using the wrong paper size file. An A4 file on Letter paper cannot print fully at 100%. Get the version made for your paper.
Get printables made to print at 100%: print.dexaloop.com/. Free, no sign-up, and it runs on your device.
Questions
Is 100% scale the same as actual size?
Yes. Actual size, 100% and no scaling all mean the page is printed at the dimensions stored in the file. Fit to page, fit to printable area and shrink to fit all change the size.
Why does my PDF print smaller than it should?
Usually a fit option is switched on in the app or in the printer driver, or the paper size in the dialog does not match the paper in the tray. Set the scale to actual size or 100% and match the paper size.
Will printing at actual size cut off the edges?
It can, if the file has content closer to the edge than your printer can reach. Many printers need a margin of a few millimeters. A file designed with half-inch margins prints fully at 100% on most home printers.
How do I check a print is true to size?
Measure something on the page with a known size, such as a check ruler, a grid or a box with a stated width. Use a steel ruler and measure the longest distance you can. A difference of 1 mm over 100 mm means about 1% scaling.
Does the printer driver override the app?
It can. The app and the printer driver each have their own scaling settings. If the app is set to actual size but the driver is set to fit to page, the page can still be resized. Check both.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Print in Microsoft Edge
- Apple Support: Print PDFs and images in Preview on Mac
- Canon printer driver guide: Fit-to-Page Printing
- Epson: Printable area specifications (WF-3820)
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check the official source for your own case. Found a mistake? Email support@dexaloop.com.