A4 vs US Letter: printing our printables on A4 paper
UpdatedShort answer
Most of our printables are US Letter pages (8.5 × 11 in, 216 × 279 mm). A4 (210 × 297 mm) is 6 mm narrower and 18 mm taller. Choose A4 as the paper size and Fit to page (or Shrink to fit) as the scale: the page shrinks by about 3%, stays centered, and nothing is cut off.
The two sizes
- US Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches (215.9 × 279.4 mm). It's the usual size in the US, Canada and parts of Latin America.
- A4 is 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in). It's the usual size almost everywhere else.
- A US Letter page is about 6 mm wider than A4, so at 100% a little of each side edge can fall off an A4 sheet. It is shorter than A4, so there's never a problem top to bottom.
Print a US Letter PDF on A4
- Open the PDF and the Print window, and set the paper size to A4.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: under Page Sizing & Handling choose Fit (or Shrink oversized pages).
- Preview on a Mac: tick Scale to Fit and choose Print Entire Image.
- Chrome or Edge: open More settings and set Scale to Fit to printable area (or Fit to page).
- Print one page first. The page comes out about 3% smaller, centered, with a little extra white space at the top and bottom.
Tips
- Everything on the page shrinks by the same amount, so cards still match each other and cut lines still line up.
- Where a listing says every drawing fits A4 at 100% (they're listed below), you can print at actual size on A4: only the blank outer margin is trimmed.
- Two-sided pages: shrink both sides the same way (Fit to page for the whole job) so fronts and backs still line up.
- Invitations, menus and wedding signs also come in their own sizes (5 × 7 in cards, 18 × 24 in signs and more; listed below). Print those on paper of that size, or at a copy shop for the poster sizes.
From our printables
75 of our 108 printables are US Letter on every page (checked in each PDF).
4 listings say every drawing fits A4 at 100%: Turkey Disguise Project Kit Printable, Turkey Disguise Classroom Bundle, Turkey Disguise Template Printable, Disfraza un pavo imprimible.
33 printables also have pages in other sizes (cards, envelopes, signs; the ones that aren't bundles are listed below); 8 include poster sizes (18 × 24 in, 24 × 36 in) for a print shop.
- Wedding Welcome Sign Template: Rustic Kraft (Editable PDF): US Letter, 18 × 24 in
- Wedding Welcome Sign Template: Modern Line (Editable PDF): US Letter, 18 × 24 in
- Wedding Welcome Sign Template: Gilded Classic (Editable PDF): US Letter, 18 × 24 in
- Wedding Welcome Sign Template: Garden Bloom (Editable PDF): US Letter, 18 × 24 in
- Save the Date Template: Rustic Kraft (Editable PDF): 3.6 × 6.4 in, 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Save the Date Template: Modern Line (Editable PDF): 3.6 × 6.4 in, 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Save the Date Template: Gilded Classic (Editable PDF): 3.6 × 6.4 in, 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Save the Date Template: Garden Bloom (Editable PDF): 3.6 × 6.4 in, 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Rehearsal Dinner Invitation Template: 4 Styles (Editable PDF): 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Engagement Party Invitation Template: 4 Styles (Editable PDF): 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Wedding Table Numbers and Place Cards: Rustic Kraft (Editable PDF): 5 × 7 in, US Letter
- Wedding Table Numbers and Place Cards: Modern Line (Editable PDF): 5 × 7 in, US Letter
And 17 more in all printables.
Page sizes and page counts are read from each printable's PDF; quoted lines are from its listing.
Questions
Will anything be cut off on A4?
Not with Fit to page. At 100% on A4, about 3 mm can be trimmed from the left and right edges of a US Letter page.
Do you sell A4 versions?
Our files are made in US Letter. Fit to page prints them on A4 with only a small shrink, as the listings say.
Why is my print off-center on A4?
The paper size in the print window is still set to US Letter. Change it to A4, keep Fit to page on, and print again.