How to print cue cards without shrinking, clipping or upside-down backs

Last updated: 10 October 2026 · Written by the Cue Card Converter team at EventProgrammer, event production professionals

A card that looks right on screen can print smaller than expected, lose a cut mark or have its back upside down. This guide follows the printing options in CueCardConverter, explains which settings belong to the app and which belong to your printer, and gives you a short proof-print routine before you use the full pack of card stock.

Start with the paper you will actually load

1. Choose Card size. This is the size of the finished card: 3 × 5 in, 4 × 6 in, A6, A5 or Half Letter.
2. Choose Layout. Use “One card per page” for pre-cut stock that your printer supports. Use “Several cards per sheet (cut lines)” when you will cut cards from A4 or Letter sheets.
3. Match Paper to the tray. For several cards per sheet, select A4 or Letter in the app and the same paper in the print dialog. A4 is 210 × 297 mm; Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm.
4. Review Print preview. Check the sheet dimensions, card numbers, last line of each card and whether back pages are present. The app chooses the sheet orientation that fits the most cards; this can differ from the card orientation.

For one card per page, choose the matching card size or supported custom size in the printer dialog. The website prepares the page, but it cannot set the physical paper tray or make a printer support small stock. For blank Word templates and a size comparison, see the cue card template guide.

How many cards fit on A4 or Letter?

These are the numbers of front-side cards in the app’s multi-card layout, before any printer scaling. The last sheet can contain empty spaces when the deck does not fill the grid.

A5 and Half Letter are close in size, but are not interchangeable. In this layout, two A5 cards fit on A4; two Half Letter cards fit on Letter. Select the card size deliberately instead of shrinking an A4 layout onto Letter paper.

Actual size, 100% and “Fit”: which setting should you use?

For an exact physical card size, export PDF after selecting your layout. The PDF uses the dimensions shown in the app’s preview. Open it in a PDF viewer, select the matching paper and choose “Actual size” or 100% if available. Keep the printer’s “Pages per sheet” at 1: the app has already arranged the cards on each PDF page.

“Fit” or “Shrink to printable area” can make the complete sheet smaller so it clears the printer’s unprintable margins. That may be useful when complete visibility matters more than exact dimensions, but your finished cards will also be smaller. Direct printing from the browser scales the layout to the available printable area, so a nominal 3 × 5 card is not a guarantee of a physical 3 × 5 print.

Turn browser headers and footers off. Do not assume that “Margins: None” makes an ordinary printer borderless. If an outer cut mark falls outside the printable area at 100%, use a printer or paper setup that supports the required area, or accept a reduced size after checking a proof.

Measure the proof: a 3 × 5 card should measure 76.2 × 127 mm between its edges; an A5 card should measure 148 × 210 mm. Measure the card boundary or cut lines, not the text box. If the result is smaller, check both the PDF viewer’s scaling and the printer driver’s scaling.

Print the back correctly: the app and printer have separate switches

“Print back side (duplex)” in the app adds a logo/event back page immediately after each front sheet. It does not enable double-sided printing on the printer. Select duplex in the printer dialog as well, or the backs will be printed on separate sheets.

The app mirrors the card columns on the back so the numbers can match after cutting. As a starting setting, use flip on long edge for a portrait sheet and flip on short edge for a landscape sheet. Follow the orientation of the whole sheet in the print preview, not the individual card. Printer drivers describe binding differently, so verify the first front/back pair before printing the rest.

For example, five A5 cards arranged two per A4 sheet with backs enabled produce six PDF pages: front, back, front, back, front, back. With working duplex, that uses three physical sheets. After cutting, the number on each card’s back should match its front.

For a single-sided deck, turn off the app’s back option. If your printer has no automatic duplex, prove its manual re-feed direction with one marked sheet and consult its instructions before printing batches. There is no universal face-up/face-down rule for every paper path.

Make one proof sheet before the full print run

1. Start with ordinary paper. In the browser or PDF print dialog, select only page 1 for a front-only proof, or pages 1–2 for the first duplex pair.
2. Check all four edges, the last line, card numbers and the cut lines. If the generated PDF already has several cards on a page, ensure the print dialog has not applied another multi-page layout.
3. Measure one card. If using duplex, hold the sheet against a light to compare front and back positions, then check the matching card numbers.
4. Cut the proof and hold it at your speaking distance. Read the smallest text and longest name aloud. Try the lighting you expect to use when possible.
5. Print one sheet on the intended stock, using a weight and paper setting supported by the printer. Check feeding, smearing and show-through before printing the deck.

Repeat the proof if you change printer, paper stock or scaling settings. Keep a copy of the final PDF so a replacement card can come from the same version.

If text is tiny or the last sentence is missing

The app can reduce a card’s font size to fit the text. An “auto-fitted” label means that the printed size may be below the size you selected. An “overflows, split it!” warning means text still does not fit and must be reviewed before export.

• Put the cursor after a complete sentence and choose Split here, then review both cards.
• If you changed to a smaller card size, use Re-split cards for this size and review the result, including important names and any manual edits.
• Use a larger card or fewer words per card when you need larger type. Lowering the font size further can make a technically complete card hard to use on stage.
• Reopen Print preview after changing font, spacing, highlight size or card orientation. Check every affected card, including the end of the text.

For a grayscale printer, enable bold highlights and check the proof. Colour alone may not distinguish a name or stage cue clearly. If the back’s colour or logo is missing, check the printer’s colour/background options and compare with an exported PDF.

Cut, collate and keep the right version together

Cut along the internal dashed guides and check the outside boundaries before trimming. Marks at the edge of the paper may be outside a printer’s printable area; do not guess a missing edge if exact size matters. Keep stacks small enough for the cutter you use.

After cutting, sort by the printed card numbers and check that no card is missing or repeated. A partially filled last sheet still needs its matching back page for duplex printing. Label the finished deck with its revision and keep the previous version separate.

To see how a finished deck is presented alongside its source text, visit the cue card examples. When your proof looks right, return to the cue card maker to print the final version.

Printing from an iPhone or iPad

On iPhone and iPad, the app prepares a PDF for printing. Use the offered print/share control or open the PDF and choose Share → Print. Select a printer before checking the paper sizes it offers. The PDF layout and the paper setting still need to match.

If the available mobile print controls cannot preserve the dimensions you need, save the PDF and print it from a computer or send the file with its required paper size to your print provider. Do the same one-sheet proof rather than assuming the mobile preview shows the final physical size.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Free cue card template (Word, PDF): 3×5, 4×6 and A5 sizes
• How to edit cue cards when the script changes at the last minute
• Cue card examples: three real decks with PDFs
• How to make cue cards for a speech or event

Browse all guides →

← Back to the cue card converter