A template that prints even a few percent small makes a box that will not fit what it was made for. The drawing is not wrong; something between the file and the paper shrank it. These are the usual causes, most common first.
1. "Fit to page" is switched on
Most print dialogs shrink a page to fit the printable area unless told not to. The setting has different names: Fit, Fit to page, Shrink oversized pages, Scale to fit. Change it to Actual size, 100% or Scale: 100. Every PDF from this site has that reminder printed along the bottom of the sheet, because the file often ends up printed from someone else's computer.
2. The paper size does not match
A4 (210 × 297 mm) and US Letter (8.5 × 11 in, about 216 × 279 mm) are close but not the same. A file made for one and printed on the other is often shrunk to fit without any warning. Choose the sheet you will really print on in the maker before downloading, and check the paper size in the print dialog matches it.
3. The browser's own PDF viewer
Printing straight from a PDF opened in a browser tab sometimes applies its own scaling, with the setting tucked under "More settings". Either set the scale to 100 there, or save the file and print it from a desktop PDF reader where the size option is easier to find.
4. The drawing is bigger than the paper
If the template is larger than the sheet, any printer will shrink it or crop it. The maker warns you when a drawing will not fit and offers a larger sheet, or splits pieces across pages where that works. For big boxes, print on A3 or Tabloid, use a copy shop, or take the PDF to a print service; the guide to getting a box printed compares the options.
5. A copy shop "fixed" it
Print shops often fit files to the page by habit. Tell them the file must print at 100%, actual size, no scaling, and ask them to check one sheet with a ruler before running the rest.
Check before you cut
Measure one panel whose size you know. On most boxes the bottom panel is the length and width you typed, so a 115 mm box should have a 115 mm bottom edge. Measure it with a ruler on the printed sheet:
- Exactly right, or within half a millimetre: carry on.
- Several millimetres short: something scaled it. Look for the settings above.
- Right in one direction but not the other: the printer is feeding unevenly. Try the rear feed, or a different printer.
Edges that come out missing
Almost no home printer reaches the last few millimetres of a sheet. The templates keep their cut lines at least 5 mm in from the edge for that reason. If part of a line is still missing, check the printer is not set to "borderless", which enlarges the page and crops it.
Questions
Is a millimetre or two out a problem?
For a single gift box, half a millimetre is nothing. For a lid that slides over a base, or pieces that slot together, small errors add up across both parts. If the measured panel is off by more than about one percent, find the cause before cutting.
My printer has no "actual size" option. What now?
Save the PDF and open it in a desktop PDF reader rather than the browser; the free ones all have a 100% or actual-size setting in their print dialog. If your printer's own driver adds scaling, look in its "Properties" or "Preferences" window as well.
Can I print on A4 if I live in the US, or Letter in Europe?
Yes, as long as the maker is set to the paper you actually load. The template is drawn to your measurements either way; only the sheet around it changes.
The PNG prints the wrong size but the PDF is fine.
A PNG has no paper size of its own; whatever you print it from decides how big it is. Use the PDF to print, and keep the PNG for designing in programs such as Canva.