You find a coloring page you love, send it to the printer, and discover that part of the border has vanished. Or the lines look pale, the picture is oddly small, or the paper buckles under markers. These are common home-printing problems, and most have straightforward fixes.
This guide focuses on printable PDF coloring pages. Printer menus vary, so use the preview on your own device as the final check. If you want pages to try while you follow along, our free printable coloring pages include three complete scenes from Quiet Places.
Start with the page size
Check the PDF's intended paper size before choosing a printer setting. The Paper Meadow Press sampler is designed for US letter paper, which measures 8.5 by 11 inches. Select that size in both the print dialog and your printer tray when possible. A letter-size page sent to A4 paper, or the reverse, may be resized or clipped depending on the software.
Print one illustration first. It is much easier to adjust a single test sheet than to discover the same problem across an entire stack.
Use the preview to protect the edges
Most home printers cannot print all the way to the edge of ordinary paper. Before printing, look at all four sides in the preview. If any artwork appears outside the printable area, choose a setting such as Fit or Fit to printable area. This usually makes the artwork a little smaller but keeps it intact.
Actual size or 100% can work when the PDF already has enough margin for your printer. Do not assume it is the best option until the preview confirms that nothing is cut off. Avoid Fill if it enlarges the image beyond the paper edges.
Choose paper for the tool you will use
Regular copy paper is a good first choice for crayons and colored pencils. If you prefer firmer paper, try a slightly heavier matte sheet that your printer supports. Check the printer's paper-weight guidance before loading cardstock, since heavier stock does not feed reliably through every machine.
Markers are more likely to show through or bleed than pencils. Put a spare sheet beneath the page, test the marker in an inconspicuous area, and print on one side of the paper. If you plan to use wet media, test your paper and ink together before printing several copies.
Pick settings that keep the lines clear
For black line art, start with black-and-white or grayscale printing and the printer's normal quality setting. If thin details look too faint, try a higher-quality setting on your next test. Draft mode saves ink, but it can make fine lines harder to see. There is usually no need to select photo paper or a glossy photo preset for a page you intend to color.
Disable automatic two-sided printing if you want each coloring scene on its own sheet. That leaves the reverse blank and reduces the chance that a marker will interfere with another illustration.
A one-page test checklist
- Open the PDF and select one illustration page.
- Match the PDF's paper size to the paper in your tray.
- Inspect every edge in the print preview. Use Fit if the artwork is clipped.
- Choose grayscale or black-and-white, normal quality, and one-sided printing.
- Print one copy and test a few colors before printing more.
If the print still looks wrong
The border is cut off
Switch from Actual size or Fill to Fit, then check the preview again. Also confirm that the selected paper size matches the paper you loaded.
The picture looks too small
Check whether the PDF already includes a generous margin. If it does, Actual size may give you a larger image, but only use it when the preview keeps every line inside the printable area.
The lines look light or uneven
Try normal or higher print quality, confirm that the printer is not in an ink-saving mode, and check its ink or toner status. A PDF viewer's print dialog may offer different options from the browser's quick-print menu.
Make the first page easy
Once you have a setting that works, write it down or save a printer preset if your software offers one. Then your next coloring break can begin with choosing a scene, not troubleshooting a printer.
For more cozy scenes, explore the Quiet Places coloring book and its three free printable samples. If you enjoy the test pages, the paperback contains forty single-sided illustrations.
Explore Quiet Places on Amazon