Printing a game guide, controller reference or paper template involves two separate checks: whether the output is readable, and whether its dimensions are correct. A print can pass one and fail the other.
A small preflight check can save printing the whole document:
1. For readable text and color, start with the printer's own diagnostic page. If an inkjet offers a nozzle-check pattern, use the manufacturer's instructions to interpret missing lines. Then inspect one representative page from the actual guide at the paper and quality settings you intend to use.
2. For a template that needs exact dimensions, check the PDF's intended paper size against the loaded paper. Use 100%/Actual size with Fit or Shrink disabled, and inspect the preview for clipping. Measure the template's own reference before cutting or assembling anything.
3. Record the measured size. For example, a 100 mm reference that measures 94 mm has printed at 94% scale: measured / expected × 100. This is an example calculation, not a claim about a particular printer. Correct text and clean colors do not prove that the scale is right.
Does anyone here have a useful way to check printed game materials, particularly templates or small-text reference sheets?
For an optional reference-bar check before the full print, there is a free print scale and margin checker