Print & office
Printable ruler, actual size (inches and cm)
A ruler that prints at true size: inches in sixteenths down one side, centimetres in millimetres down the other, and a bank card box in the middle so you can check the printout before you measure.
- 10 in and 25–27 cm
- Letter or A4 PDF
- Scale check box
A 10 inch ruler and a 25 cm ruler, plus a bank card box to check the scale. Print at 100 % (“Actual size”).
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How to print a ruler at actual size
- 01
Choose your paper
US Letter or A4, whichever is in your printer.
- 02
Download the PDF
One page, drawn as vector lines so every mark prints sharp.
- 03
Print at 100 % and check
Choose “Actual size” in the print dialog, then lay a bank card on the box: it should fit exactly.
Getting it the right size
- In the print dialog choose 100 %, “Actual size” or “Scale: 100”. “Fit to page” and “Shrink oversized pages” make the ruler smaller.
- A bank card, driving licence or ID card is 85.6 × 53.98 mm (the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 size), so it is a check everyone carries.
- Printers can stretch a page slightly. For precise work, compare one inch with a real ruler before you rely on it.
Questions people ask
How do I print a ruler at actual size?
Download the PDF and print it with the scale set to 100 % or “Actual size”, not “Fit to page”. Then check it with a bank card on the box in the middle.
How can I check my printed ruler is accurate?
Lay a bank card, driving licence or ID card on the box in the middle of the page. These cards are all 85.6 × 53.98 mm; if the card fits the box exactly, the ruler is true to size.
How long is the printed ruler?
The inch ruler is 10 inches on both papers. The centimetre ruler is 25 cm on US Letter and 27 cm on A4, because A4 is a little taller.
Why did my ruler print too small?
The printer scaled the page to fit its margins. Print again with the scale at 100 % or “Actual size”; the ruler leaves a half-inch margin, so it fits without shrinking.