Printer Settings Demystified

Submitted by Leslie Marinelli

Has this ever happened to you? 

You labor over designing a beautiful document and the printed version doesn't meet your expectations? 

Perhaps the margins are uneven, or some of your design was cut off, or worst off all—a chunk of our logo is missing. (GASP!) 

I can help. 

More often than not, if your printed document is misbehaving by giving you uneven or unexpected margins, you can fix it by changing just one little print setting: the scale (aka page sizing). 

Printer scale settings vary by browser and software used. 

To ensure the final print size matches your original design, please choose the following printer settings: 

Keep in mind, we aren't a professional print shop, so every document we design to be printed at FCPL should always have margins around the edges. Only specialized printers can print all the way to the edge. 

If you design something that has a reasonable margin (1/4" or more), and you want the printed version to look like your original design, you can and should choose to print it at 100% scale, aka "actual size." 

💡Canva Tip: from the File menu in Canva, go to Settings, then choose "Add guides" to create a custom 1/4" margin for your document.   

When printing your document, if you choose "fit to printable area," the printer will shrink your document a bit, often resulting in uneven margins—particularly with bookmarks that need to be cut.  

In summary: 

1.) If your document is going to be printed at FCPL, make sure you are designing it with at least a 1/4" margin all the way around.  

2.) When you print your document, choose the print scale that is "Actual size," aka 100%, aka "Fit to paper." 

If you do those two things, you will have even margins and much more professional-looking printed documents that meet your expectations and look as beautiful on paper as they do on your computer screen.