Print Scale Calculator
Find the print percentage that turns a drawing from one scale into another, check what scale a sheet actually came out at, and work out the enlargement needed to fit a drawing on a different paper size. For blueprints, construction drawings, plans and 3D print models.
On this page: Print % · Check a print · Paper fit · Printer settings · Chart · FAQ
Print Percentage Between Two Scales
You have a drawing at one scale and need it at another. This is the zoom value to type into the print dialog.
What Scale Did My Print Come Out At?
A sheet printed with "fit to page" is no longer at its stated scale. Measure a line whose intended length you know and find out what you actually have.
Fit a Drawing onto Another Paper Size
Reprinting an A1 drawing on A3? This gives the percentage and the scale you end up with.
Printing a Plan to Scale
- Open the print dialog and set Scale or Zoom to the percentage above. In Adobe Acrobat this is Custom Scale; in a browser it is the Scale field under More settings.
- Turn off "Fit to page", "Shrink oversized pages", "Fit to printable area" and borderless scaling. Any one of these overrides your percentage.
- Choose the correct paper size, and match the orientation to the drawing.
- After printing, measure a known dimension or the drawing's scale bar to confirm. The second calculator on this page tells you what you actually got.
Most printers cannot print to the very edge of the sheet. If the drawing reaches the margins, the printable area may be smaller than the paper, and the driver will silently shrink the page unless you have disabled fitting.
Common Rescaling Percentages
| From | To | Print at | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:50 | 1:100 | 50 % | Half size |
| 1:100 | 1:50 | 200 % | Double size |
| 1:100 | 1:200 | 50 % | Half size |
| 1:200 | 1:100 | 200 % | Double size |
| 1:20 | 1:25 | 80 % | Slight reduction |
| 1:1250 | 1:2500 | 50 % | Half size |
| A1 sheet | A3 sheet | ≈ 50 % | Two paper sizes down |
| A3 sheet | A4 sheet | ≈ 70.7 % | One paper size down |
| A4 sheet | A3 sheet | ≈ 141.4 % | One paper size up |
Each step in the A series changes the linear dimensions by √2, which is why one step down is about 70.7 % and two steps down is about 50 %. The paper calculator above gives the exact figure — A1 into A3 is 49.94 %, not a clean 50 %, because the A-series dimensions are rounded to whole millimetres.
Print Scale Questions
What percentage do I print to go from 1:100 to 1:50?
200 %. The drawing has to double in size, because 1:50 shows everything twice as large as 1:100.
Why is my printed drawing not to scale?
In almost every case "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages" is still switched on, and it overrides the percentage. Printer margins are the second cause: a drawing that reaches the edge of the sheet gets shrunk to fit the printable area.
How do I print an A1 drawing on A3 paper?
Print at 50 %. A3 is two A-series steps below A1, and each step is a factor of √2, so two steps halve every length. A 1:100 drawing becomes 1:200.
How do I check that a print really is to scale?
Measure a dimension written on the drawing, or the length of its scale bar, with a ruler. Compare it with what it should be at that scale. The second calculator on this page turns the difference into the actual scale and the correction percentage.
What percentage scales an A4 page up to A3?
141.4 %, which is √2. Going back down from A3 to A4 is 70.7 %.
Does this work for 3D printing?
The percentage is the same idea: a model scaled to 50 % has half the height, width and depth. Be aware that its volume, and so the material it uses, falls to 12.5 % — volume changes by the cube of the linear factor.
Related tools: the Drawing Scale Converter, the Floor Plan Scale Calculator, and the Scale Bar Generator.
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