An A4 page is 210 × 297 mm; U.S. Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm. Their different proportions mean that filling one axis does not ensure the other fits. Enter your printer’s actual unprintable margins before comparing a fit percentage.
Paper size and print scaling worksheet
Enter source and output rectangles in millimeters. Margins are your exact printer/driver values; the starting 5 mm margins are a hypothetical example.
A4 is 210 × 297 mm. U.S. Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm. Actual-size mode exposes excess rather than shrinking it silently.
Enter the worksheet inputs.
Numbers stay in this page. No account, upload or automatic saving. Download or print to keep your result.
Fit, shrink only or actual size
fit scale = min(printable width ÷ source width, printable height ÷ source height)
Fit can enlarge a smaller source. Shrink only caps the factor at 100%. Actual size keeps 100% and reports any total excess beyond the printable rectangle. Selecting 90° swaps the source axes; it does not guess the driver’s orientation. The diagram shows white paper, a green printable rectangle and an orange source rectangle, centered for illustration.
For the starting A4-to-Letter example, with hypothetical 5 mm margins on every side, the printable rectangle is 205.9 × 269.4 mm. Height limits the fit to about 90.707%. Actual size instead has 4.1 mm total width excess and 27.6 mm total height excess. Edge placement and clipping depend on the driver and alignment settings.
Keep dimension-critical work at its intended size
A sewing pattern, a scale drawing or a label template can fit the sheet and still be the wrong physical size after scaling. Confirm the requested actual-size setting and measure a known test mark on a sample print. This calculator cannot verify printer feed accuracy, borderless overscan or application behavior.
HP’s paper-size reference supplies the paper dimensions. HP’s Officejet 5600 manual illustrates that margins are stated for a particular printer and media; its values are not universal presets here. Use your exact manual and driver. For two-sided orientation, see long-edge vs short-edge duplex ; for scan geometry use the DPI calculator .
Method and limits
Original rectangular fit arithmetic and a labeled SVG, checked numerically and in a browser. No printing or physical dimensions were measured. Sources checked October 15, 2026. The worksheet does not resize or upload your files.
See Also
If you want to move from general advice into actual product choices, start with Printer and Scanner Energy Cost by Operating Mode, Scan DPI Calculator: Pixels and Raw Raster Size, and How to Fix Desk Chair Rocking or Looseness.
For a wider picture after the basics, Adjustable Headrest vs No Headrest Desk Chair and Best Ergonomic Office Chairs of 2026 are the next places to read.