know your printer before the run
printer test sheet
every home printer prints a little differently. some shrink the page, some clip the edges, some misalign the two sides of a double-sided sheet. print this one page at 100% and it shows you exactly what yours does, so your zine comes out the size and shape you drew it.
grab a sheet
-
A4
210 x 297 mm. two pages: print it double-sided to run the duplex test, or just the first page for the scale and margin checks.
-
US Letter
215.9 x 279.4 mm. two pages: print it double-sided to run the duplex test, or just the first page for the scale and margin checks.
in the print dialog choose actual size / 100% and turn off "fit to page" or "scale to fit". that setting is the single biggest reason a zine comes out the wrong size.
what it checks
-
is it scaling?
a bar marked exactly 100 mm (and 3.94 in). lay a ruler on the print: if it does not read 100 mm, your printer is shrinking the page and you need to switch to actual size. a matching vertical bar catches stretching in one direction.
-
how much does it clip?
a ruler in every corner, numbered from the paper edge inward. the lowest number that still printed is that edge's unprintable margin. keep anything you can't lose inside it, and expect a home printer to clip a few millimeters all around.
-
do the two sides line up?
a crosshair sits in the same spot on both pages. print double-sided, hold the sheet to a lamp and see how far the two crosses drift apart. if the back lands upside-down, switch your printer's flip edge from long to short (or back).
how to use it
- download the sheet for your paper size and open it in a PDF viewer.
- print at 100% / actual size, single-sided is fine for the scale and margin checks. for the duplex test, print both pages double-sided.
- measure the 100 mm bar with a ruler, read the corner gauges, and (for duplex) hold the sheet to the light.
- adjust your printer settings and reprint until it measures true. then head back to the print guide and lay out your zine with those margins in mind.