The pre-print checklist for 100% scale on Mac.

Use this checklist before any exact-size Mac print. PrintExactly shows the layout and printable-area warnings it can detect; this checklist also covers driver-specific settings that still require a manual check in the macOS print panel.

The eight-step Mac 100% scale checklist

1. Match the layout paper to the loaded paper. If the document page size does not match the paper in the printer tray, macOS scales the output before you see it. Set the layout paper to A4, US Letter, or whatever you actually loaded.
2. Confirm the layout reads the active Mac printer. PrintExactly reads the printable area from the active Mac printer driver. Switching printers between layout and print can change that area. Reopen the print panel and confirm the printer name matches.
3. Set the macOS print panel scale to 100%. In the print dialog → Paper Handling, set Scale to 100%. Make sure Scale to Fit is unchecked.
4. Turn off driver-side fit and resampling. Open the printer driver's own preferences (Show Details → Printer Features, or similar). Look for Fit, Scale, Resampling, or Borderless. Set to Off or 100% where available.
5. Verify content stays inside the printable area. PrintExactly flags any Frame that lands outside the active printer's printable area. Resolve the warning by moving the Frame inward, or choose a smaller Frame size.
6. Disable borderless if exact size matters. Borderless expansion shifts the actual printed size by 1–2% so the image fills the paper edge. For exact-size output, switch to a bordered paper size or accept the small shift.
7. Calibrate the printer for consistent scaling drift. If the same printer consistently prints every layout slightly larger or smaller on a given axis, open PrintExactly's per-printer physical calibration, print a test Page, measure the printed result with a ruler, and save an independent horizontal and vertical correction. Calibration can be enabled or disabled at any time and is applied to printed Frames and Content. It does not remove driver scaling, borderless expansion, paper feed, or mechanical drift, so the next step is still required.
8. Print one copy and measure before doing the full job. Especially for a school package, wallet prints, or a passport sheet, print one copy and measure the finished image with a physical ruler before committing to the full run.

Most "the photo printed wrong size" reports come back to the first three items on this list. Run them in order, and 95% of scale drift disappears.

— Mac print support

What "100% scale" actually means on Mac

100% scale means the generated page is sent at its intended physical dimensions without fit-to-page enlargement or reduction. It does not mean one image pixel equals one printer dot. macOS and printer drivers may expose this as Scale, Fit, or Resampling; setting page scaling to 100% or Off is the cleanest baseline.

When to relax 100% scale

Some workflows deliberately accept a small scale shift. Borderless printing shifts by 1–2% so the image fills the paper edge. Photo paper presets often apply a small enlargement to hide white borders. If the layout is "close enough" exact size — for example, a photo for a frame with 2 mm of tolerance — these defaults are usually fine.

If the checklist still leaves drift

Hardware feed and mechanical tolerance can introduce small drift that no setting will fix. Measure one representative photo against the dimensions you entered before committing to the full print job.

Frequently asked questions