How to Print

Printing at the right size, step by step

This is the one setting that matters. Browsers and PDF readers default to shrinking a page to fit the printable area, which comes out around 94–97% of the intended size. On a coloring page nobody notices. On a handwriting sheet it matters, because the distance between the baseline and the midline is what tells a child how tall to make a letter.

1. Open the worksheet PDF. Download the sheet and open it in your browser's PDF viewer or in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Open the print dialog. Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on a Mac, or File then Print.
3. Find the scale setting. Depending on the program it is labelled Scale, Page Sizing or Page Scaling. In Chrome and Edge it is under More settings.
4. Set the scale to 100%. Choose 100% or Actual size. Avoid Fit to page, Shrink oversized pages and Fit to printable area — those print at roughly 94–97%, which shrinks the handwriting guides.
5. Match the paper size to the tray. Set A4 or US Letter to match the paper actually loaded, otherwise the page prints small in one corner.
6. Print. Grayscale and draft quality are fine unless the sheet says it needs color.

Where the setting lives, by program

• Chrome / Edge — expand More settings, set Scale to Custom, type 100
• Firefox — set Scale to 100%, not Fit to page width
• Safari — untick Scale to fit
• Adobe Acrobat Reader — under Page Sizing & Handling, choose Actual size

Save ink

• Print in grayscale unless the sheet says it needs color. Only the color-by-key sheets do.
• Use draft or econofast quality — tracing guides do not need photo quality.
• Ordinary 80gsm copier paper is fine. Heavier paper only helps if your child presses very hard or you plan to use paint.

Printing several at once

If you are printing a whole pack, most print dialogs let you put two pages per sheet. For coloring pages that halves your paper use and the picture is still plenty big. Do not do this for handwriting sheets — it defeats the point of printing at 100%.

Common questions

Should I print on A4 or US Letter?

Either. Every worksheet here is laid out on A4 with margins wide enough that nothing is lost on US Letter. Letter is a little wider and a little shorter, so you will see slightly more space at the sides and slightly less top and bottom. Leave your paper size set to whatever is in the tray.

Why is the bottom of the page cut off?

Your printer's margins are larger than the file expects. Check that scaling is at 100% and that you have not selected a borderless or photo paper setting.

Why does everything print tiny in one corner?

The paper size in the print dialog does not match the paper in the tray. Set it to A4 or Letter to match.

Why are the traced lines so faint?

You are probably in draft mode with a low ink cartridge. Tracing guides are meant to be light gray, but they should be clearly visible.

How do I make one worksheet last?

Slide the printed page into a clear plastic pocket, or laminate it, and let your child work with a dry-wipe marker. Wipe and repeat. A zip-lock freezer bag works just as well. For tracing sheets this beats reprinting, because the repetition is the point.

Can I use these without a printer?

Yes. Open the PDF on a tablet and let your child trace over the screen with a stylus in any drawing app, or take the file to a print shop — most will print a batch of black-and-white A4 pages for very little.