Why does my printout come out the wrong size?
If your printout is the wrong size, the most likely cause is a “Fit to page” setting in the print dialog (some apps call it “Shrink to printable area” or “Scale to fit”), which quietly shrinks the whole page. Switch it to Actual size or 100% and print again; that usually fixes it. Anything laid out with the ID card printing tool is already at real size, so you only need to get this setting right. There’s nothing to calculate.
Cause 1: print scaling
Many print dialogs shrink the page by default so that nothing falls into the edge the printer can’t reach. It’s usually only a few percent, which is hard to spot on an ordinary document but matters for anything that has to be exact. An ID card that should be 85.6 mm wide comes out at about 81 mm after a 5% reduction.
Where to find the setting:
- Browser print dialog: under “More settings”, set Scale to “Default” or a custom value of 100.
- PDF readers: under “Page sizing & handling”, choose Actual size, not “Fit” or “Shrink oversized pages”.
- Built-in photo printing: some apps have “Fit picture to frame” checked by default, which enlarges the picture and crops its edges. Uncheck it for anything that must be a certain size.
Cause 2: the wrong paper size
If the file is Letter size but the print dialog is set to a different paper, the printer scales or crops the page. Make sure the dialog says Letter, and that it matches the paper actually in the tray.
Cause 3: the image has no real size
Screenshots and photos only have pixels; they don’t know how big they’re “meant” to be. That’s why the same picture prints at different sizes from different apps: each assumes a different DPI. To print an ID card or a receipt at real size, something has to say how big it really is. That’s exactly what the layout tool does: ID cards are placed at 85.6×54 mm and PDF pages at their original size.
Cause 4: the unprintable edge
Most printers can’t print the outer 3–5 mm of the paper. Content that sits too close to the edge is either cut off or the driver shrinks the whole page to fit it in. Use the Auto, Narrow or Normal margin to stay clear of it; before export, the tool also warns you about anything within 3 mm of the edge.
Check your printer with a calibration page
Open the printer calibration page, download the calibration PDF and print it at Actual size. Then measure it: the rulers should be exactly 100 mm and the card frame 85.6×54 mm. If you’re off by more than 1 mm, something is still scaling, so go back through the settings above.
Once your printer checks out, you can print documents that need to be exact with confidence: open the ID front and back page.