How to print graph paper at actual size

Updated 2026-11-04

If your squares come out a little small, the cause is almost always one setting: scale. Most print dialogs shrink the page to fit the printer’s margins. The difference is only 3–6%, but on graph paper that means a 1 cm square prints at around 9.5 mm.

The short answer

In the print dialog, set Scale to 100%, or choose Actual size. Turn off Fit to page, Fit to printable area and Shrink oversized pages. Then measure the ruler printed at the bottom of every sheet.

Chrome and Edge

1. Press Print on the sheet.
2. Open More settings.
3. Change Scale from Fit to printable area to Default or Custom: 100.
4. Set Margins to None or Default. Our sheets already include their own margin.

Safari (Mac)

1. Press Print, then Show Details if the dialog is small.
2. Make sure Scale reads 100%.
3. Untick Print headers and footers so the browser does not add text over the sheet.

Firefox

1. Press Print.
2. Under Scale, choose 100 instead of Fit to page width.

Printing the PDF (Acrobat, Preview)

In Adobe Acrobat Reader, choose Actual size under Page Sizing & Handling. In macOS Preview, set Scale to 100%. The PDF has the exact page size you chose, so nothing else needs adjusting.

Check with a ruler

Every sheet has a 1 inch and a 1 cm mark at the bottom. Lay a ruler on them after printing:

Still slightly off?

Some printers stretch or shrink by up to 1% mechanically. That is within normal tolerance and too small to fix in software. If the error is larger, update your printer driver and turn off any “borderless” or “auto-fit” setting in the printer’s own options.