Printing scanned PDFs: settings that keep them crisp

A scan's final exam is often a printer: the office wants a hard copy, the form must be signed in ink. Two settings decide whether it prints beautifully — size mode and colour mode.

The two settings that matter

• Fit to page (default-safe): scales your page onto the paper with margins — right for reading copies, cards enlarged pleasantly.
• Actual size / 100%: true dimensions — right when scale matters (forms with fill-in boxes, anything measured). Cards print card-sized.
• Colour vs greyscale: keep colour for stamps/seals/IDs; greyscale is fine for plain text and saves toner.

Printing from each device

1. Phone: open the PDF from Files/Downloads → Share/menu → Print → AirPrint or your printer's plugin.
2. Computer: browser or PDF reader → Ctrl/⌘+P → check the preview's margins → print.
3. Print shop: hand over the PDF file — this is exactly the situation PDFs exist for; it prints there as it looks here.

Why scans print so well

ToPDF pages are high-resolution, straightened, evenly lit images — the properties printers reward. A well-captured scan at Fit-to-page is routinely indistinguishable from a photocopy of the original, minus the trip to a copier.

Frequently asked questions

My print came out tiny in a corner — what happened?

“Actual size” on a small-format scan (like a card). Switch to Fit to page, or keep actual size deliberately when true scale is the point.

Double-sided printing of a 2-page ID scan?

Enable duplex in the print dialog — front/back land on one sheet’s two sides, pleasingly like the original card.