How to print worksheets on A4 and Letter

Most “the worksheet came out wrong” problems are print-dialog problems, not file problems. These are the settings that matter for A4/Letter printables.

A4 vs Letter

A4 is 210 × 297 mm; Letter is 216 × 279 mm. A4 is slightly narrower and taller. If a file is designed on A4 and you print on Letter, choose Fit to page; if you print A4 on A4, choose Actual size so the tracing lines stay the size they were designed for.

The three settings to check

Scale — “Actual size” for A4→A4, “Fit” for A4→Letter. Avoid “Shrink oversized pages” unless the printer forces it.
Margins — set to “Default” or “None”, not “Minimum”, if the worksheet has a border.
Duplex — for flashcards, choose “Flip on long edge” so the back is upright when you cut.

Printing picture cards

Print on cardstock if you plan to reuse the cards. Cut on the lines after printing, not before — printers shift paper by a millimetre or two. If you print double-sided, print one test sheet first and hold it up to the light to check the back is not upside down.

Printing tracing sheets

Grey tracing lines can disappear on a low-toner printer. If the model letters look faint, choose “Best” or “High quality” rather than “Draft”. Do not use “Eco” mode for tracing sheets.

Printing word searches

Word searches print as two pages: the grid and the answer key. Use the page range setting to print only the grid for the class and keep the answer key on screen. If the grid looks cramped, print at 100% rather than fitting two pages to one sheet.

Test one page first

Print page one, check the margins and the size of the writing lines, then print the rest. It takes one extra minute and saves a class set of unusable paper.

Make the sheets for this guide

All the worksheets mentioned here are free and print in one click.

Word search maker Flashcard maker Tracing maker

Questions

Why do my tracing lines look grey?

They are designed light so children can trace over them. If they are too faint, switch the printer to Best quality and disable Eco mode.

Can I print two pages per sheet?

For word searches, no — the grid becomes too small. For picture cards, two pages per sheet makes the cards too small to hold.

The PDF opens at the wrong size

Set the print scale to Actual size; the files are A4 portrait.