Printing Guide
Last updated: October 4, 2026
The short version: pick the paper size your printer uses, then set the print scale to Actual size / 100%. Those two choices are 90% of a perfect worksheet — everything else on this page is detail.
Which paper size should I choose?
The generator offers Letter and A4 because the world uses two paper standards. Both are close in size, but they are not interchangeable — pick the one loaded in your printer:
| Paper | Size | Where it's standard |
|---|---|---|
| Letter | 8.5 × 11 in (216 × 279 mm) | United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and parts of Central and South America |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in) | UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and most of the rest of the world |
Not sure? Check the paper ream you buy — its label says "Letter" or "A4". If you print on A4 while the worksheet is sized for Letter, your printer must either shrink the page (letters come out smaller than intended) or crop the edges (the four-line guides get clipped). Choosing the matching size avoids both.
The one setting that matters: Actual size (100%)
Every worksheet PDF is built at exact paper dimensions. Browser and OS print dialogs often default to "Fit to page" or "Scale to paper size", which quietly shrinks or stretches the sheet. For tracing practice the proportions matter — the four-line guides show children exactly how tall each letter should be, so a scaled print teaches the wrong height.
In the print dialog, look for the scale setting:
- Chrome / Edge: set Scale to 100 (or choose "Actual size" if shown)
- Safari (Mac): set Scale to 100% — uncheck "Fit to page" if present
- Adobe Reader: under "Page Sizing & Handling" choose Actual size
- Phone / tablet AirPrint: look for a scale or paper-fit option and pick No scaling; some mobile dialogs hide it — printing the downloaded PDF from a computer is the most reliable path
30-second pre-print checklist
- Paper size in the generator matches the paper in the tray (Letter or A4)
- Print scale is Actual size / 100% — not "Fit" or "Shrink to fit"
- Orientation is Portrait
- Preview shows the whole border — all four edges of the sticker frame visible, nothing cut off
- One page = one worksheet (disable "print multiple sheets per page")
Paper and reuse tips
- Ordinary office paper works. For pencil practice, standard 70–80 gsm paper is fine.
- For erasable reuse, slip the sheet into a clear plastic sleeve or laminate it and use a low-odor dry-erase or wet-erase marker. The dotted guide lines wipe clean and the same sheet can be practiced all week.
- Heavier paper (100+ gsm) feels nicer for markers and survives enthusiastic erasing.
- Kindergarteners grip hard — a sleeve also stops pencil tips from tearing through.
Does it need colour?
No. Every worksheet is designed to work in greyscale: the tracing dots, four-line guides and numbered start points are all high-contrast dark strokes, and the sticker borders print as clean outlines on a black-and-white printer. Colour is a bonus, not a requirement.
Troubleshooting
The letters print too small. The print dialog scaled the page — re-print at Actual size / 100%.
The border or guides are cut off. Either the paper size was mismatched (see the table above) or the printer is applying an "edge-to-edge" crop. Print at 100% on matching paper; nearly all home printers have a small unprintable margin by design, which the layouts already account for.
The PDF opens in a weird viewer that can't print properly. Download the file to your computer first, then open it in your browser or a PDF reader and print from there instead of printing from a preview pane.
The sheet is blurry or dotted lines look broken. Set the print quality to "Normal" or "Best"; "Draft" mode drops dots to save ink and makes tracing lines faint.