# PDF Print Settings Cheat Sheet — free download from DollarWise (dollarwise.xyz)

The right print settings for every PDF job, plus the fixes for the printing problems that waste the most paper and ink.

## Quick settings by job

### Everyday printing (drafts, notes, homework)
- Color: Grayscale
- Quality: Draft or Normal
- Paper: A4 or Letter, single-sided
- Scaling: Fit to page

### Official documents (forms, contracts, applications)
- Color: Color (for signatures and stamps) or Grayscale if the form is black and white
- Quality: Normal or Best
- Paper: A4 or Letter, single-sided
- Scaling: Actual size (100%) — never shrink official forms

### Photos and certificates
- Color: Color
- Quality: Best or Photo
- Paper: Photo paper or heavyweight matte
- Scaling: Fit to page or Actual size, with borderless printing if available

### Booklets and handouts
- Color: As needed
- Quality: Normal
- Paper: A4 or Letter, double-sided, flip on long edge
- Scaling: Booklet mode if your printer offers it

## Settings explained

- Grayscale vs color: grayscale prints faster, uses less ink, and is fine for text. Use color only when color matters.
- Draft vs Best: draft uses less ink and prints faster; best is slower but sharper. Normal is the right default for most jobs.
- Actual size vs Fit: actual size prints at 100% and is required for forms with fixed fields. Fit shrinks oversized pages to the paper.
- Double-sided: flip on long edge for portrait documents you read like a book; flip on short edge for landscape or top-bound documents.
- Margins: if text is cut off at the edges, switch to Fit to page or set a minimum margin of 0.5 inches.

## Before you print checklist

1. Check the page count and paper size in the print preview.
2. Confirm orientation: portrait for letters, landscape for spreadsheets.
3. Print one test page for long documents before committing the whole job.
4. Check ink or toner levels for large jobs.
5. Make sure the right printer is selected — especially on shared networks.

## Common problems and fixes

- Text cut off at the edges: switch scaling to Fit to page.
- Colors look washed out: check ink levels and switch quality to Best.
- Pages print in the wrong order: enable reverse page order for multi-page jobs.
- Blank pages appear: check for blank pages in the PDF and remove them before printing.
- File prints too small: change scaling from Fit to Actual size.