Printing maths worksheets for home and classroom
Most worksheets end up on paper, and a poor print can ruin a good sheet: cropped edges, a key on the wrong page, or pale grids that cannot be read. A few settings avoid nearly all of this.
Choose the paper size
The UK and Australia use A4, which is 210 by 297 millimetres. The United States uses Letter, 8.5 by 11 inches, which is slightly wider and shorter. Maths Library selects a size from your country setting, and you can change it in the inspector. Use the size that matches your printer paper, otherwise the printer will scale the page and shrink the margins.
Check the print dialog
In your browser's print window, set scale to 100 percent or "default", and margins to default or none, since the sheet carries its own. Turn on background graphics if you want the squared or dotted paper to print. Headers and footers should be off, to remove the page address from the sheet.
Black and white is fine
Sheets are designed to read in plain black. Colour appears only in the interface, not on the page. Using greyscale saves ink and avoids a faint grid disappearing in the print. If your printer renders light grey too faintly, choose a plain paper style instead of squared.
Save paper
Two-sided printing halves the paper, though pupils working on the back can lose their place. Choose two columns for short-answer questions, or reduce spacing to compact. For revision, print two sheets per page, but check that the working space remains big enough. Over-compressing a sheet defeats its purpose.
Keep the key separate
Set the key to a separate page and print only the pages you need. In the print dialog, choose the page range: page 1 for the sheet, page 2 for the key. Do not leave the key in a shared folder or printer queue that pupils can reach.
Save to PDF
Choose "Save as PDF" as the printer to keep a digital copy, share a sheet by email, or display it on a classroom screen. The text stays sharp and selectable. For pupils who work on a tablet, a PDF can be annotated directly.
Accessibility
For pupils who need larger print, raise the text size setting and print one column. Cream paper reduces glare for some readers. Dyslexia-friendly choices vary by person, so ask the pupil rather than assuming. Always check one printed copy before running a class set.
Trouble shooting
If the sheet is cut off, check the paper size and scale. If the grid is missing, enable background graphics. If a question splits across pages, add space above it or reduce the number of questions on the page. These settings are remembered in your draft, so the next print is quick.
When the sheet is ready, open the editor, read how to differentiate a sheet or browse all worksheets.