MINSULA PRINT LAB / FIELD NOTES

Print a 10 cm image on A4

A small paper mock-up is a useful first test before printing an entire project. Our original botanical sample is 1500 × 1200 pixels, a 5:4 rectangle. At 10 cm wide it should be 8 cm tall when proportions are locked.

Set the finished dimensions

1. Load the botanical sample in the studio. Select cm, set width to 10, and leave proportions locked. Height becomes 8.
2. Choose Single, A4, Portrait and a 10 mm paper margin. Keep the verification line enabled.
3. Inspect the page, then download the PDF. Select A4 in the printer dialog too.

A4 is 210 × 297 mm. Two 10 mm margins leave 190 mm across. The tool also reserves a 12 mm footer for the measurement line and label, leaving 265 mm vertically. Your 100 × 80 mm image fits comfortably and is centred inside that usable rectangle.

Measure the paper, not the screen

Print at Actual size or 100%, with Fit disabled. The 100 mm line and the artwork width should both measure 10 cm with a ruler. The on-screen preview is scaled to fit your display, so holding a ruler against the monitor does not validate this output.

If the line measures 96 mm, stop before cutting. The print is approximately 4% smaller than requested. Check print scaling and paper selection first; changing the artwork dimensions can mask an incorrect print-dialog setting.

Use it at the workbench

Cut around the outside of the botanical frame to make a paper placement template. Allow for the thickness of the cutting line if a fraction of a millimetre matters. This workflow has software geometry checks, but no physical printer certification.