Print troubleshooting
Solve print scaling, cropping and margin problems. Compare A4 with Letter and learn how to measure an actual-size print.
Understand home printer margins
Most home printers have a nonprintable area, but its size depends on the model, paper and mode. The studio starts with 10 mm margins as a practical layout setting, not a guarantee for every printer.
↗Choose resolution for a photo print
PPI connects source pixels to the physical print size. A 3000 × 2000 pixel image prints at 10 × 6.67 inches at 300 PPI. This is a calculation, not a guarantee of sharpness.
↗A4 and Letter for photo layouts
A4 measures 210 × 297 mm. Letter measures 215.9 × 279.4 mm. Letter is slightly wider, while A4 is taller. A layout that fits one may not fit the other.
↗Check the real dimensions of a print
Enable the 20 mm calibration square, export one sheet and print it on ordinary paper. Measure between the square’s line centres in both directions. Then measure the photograph rectangle.
↗How to avoid cropping a photograph
Whole image fits the complete photograph inside the selected rectangle. Crop to fill covers the rectangle and removes some edges when the ratios differ. Look at faces, text and horizon lines in the preview.
↗Why a printer changes photo dimensions
Scaling can happen in the PDF viewer or printer driver. Fit reduces the whole PDF to the printable area, and a paper-format mismatch can trigger another resize. Borderless printing may enlarge the image and crop its edges.
↗Related tasks
- How to print a PDF at 100%
- Why a printer changes photo dimensions
- How to avoid cropping a photograph
- Check the real dimensions of a print
- A4 and Letter for photo layouts
- Choose resolution for a photo print
- Understand home printer margins
First compare the PDF paper format with the loaded paper. Next check scaling in the PDF viewer, then in the driver. If only the image edges disappear, inspect crop mode and borderless expansion. If only part of the sheet is missing, check the printer’s nonprintable margins.