Print guide: getting true scale every time
Every file on this site is drawn in millimetres. If your printer prints it at 100%, a 1:12 book will be exactly 1/12 of the real book. The most common problem is the print dialog shrinking the page.
1. Print at Actual size / 100%
- Adobe Acrobat / Reader: Page Sizing & Handling → Actual size.
- macOS Preview: Scale 100%; untick “Scale to fit”.
- Chrome / Edge PDF viewer: More settings → Scale → Custom 100 (not “Fit to printable area”).
- Photo apps and phone share sheets often resize: open the PDF in a PDF app instead.
2. Match the paper
Download the US Letter file for 8.5 × 11 in paper and the A4 file for 210 × 297 mm paper. Both contain the same pieces at the same size; only the page layout differs. Printing an A4 file on Letter paper (or the reverse) usually makes the printer scale it.
3. Check the calibration squares
Each sheet has a 25 mm square and a 1 inch square in the footer. Measure the outside of the line with a ruler. If it is off by more than about 0.5 mm, the print was scaled - fix the settings above before printing the rest.
4. Line key
- Solid line: cut.
- Dashed line: valley fold (the fold comes toward you).
- Dash-dot line: mountain fold (fold away from you). Score it first with an empty ballpoint pen and a ruler.
- Hatched area: glue. It is hidden after assembly.
Fold marks on books and wrappers sit just outside the artwork, so they are trimmed away and nothing is printed over the design.
5. Paper and tools
- Wallpaper and flooring: matte 90-120 gsm paper; heavier paper hides wall texture.
- Labels and signs: matte paper, photo paper or sticker paper.
- Boxes: 160-200 gsm card.
- A sharp craft knife, a metal ruler and a self-healing cutting mat give much cleaner edges than scissors.
Why some scales are missing
We do not just shrink 1:12 files. Each scale is rebuilt from the same real-world measurements and then checked: text must stay above a minimum printable size, glue tabs and panels must be large enough to fold, and fine lines must stay printable. If a scale fails those checks it is simply not offered.