A home printer and a ream of plain paper are all you need to run a great game night or classroom activity. But a few small settings decide whether your cards come out crisp and centered or cramped, faded, and cut off at the edge. This guide walks through the choices that actually matter, so your first print is the one you use.
Choose the right paper
For most games, plain 20 lb copy paper is perfect, it’s cheap, it prints fast, and nobody minds if a card gets marked up and recycled.
Step up the paper only when the game gets handled a lot:
- Cardstock (65-110 lb) makes cards that survive a party or a full class. It’s the right choice for bingo cards you want to reuse, or for game pieces kids will shuffle and hold.
- Matte photo paper is worth it only for full-color, illustrated cards you want to look polished. It’s overkill for everyday black-and-white games.
If you plan to laminate (more on that below), plain paper is fine, the lamination does the durability work.
US Letter vs A4
This is the most common cause of a bad print. In the US, standard paper is US Letter (8.5 × 11 in). Much of the rest of the world uses A4 (210 × 297 mm), which is slightly narrower and taller.
If a page is set to the wrong size, your printer will shrink or shift it, which throws off margins and can clip card borders. Two quick fixes:
- Match the page size to your paper. US readers should print at US Letter. Our games default to Letter, so you usually don’t have to touch this.
- Set scaling to 100% (or “Actual size”), not “Fit.” “Fit to page” quietly resizes everything and is the usual reason a border gets cut off.
Cards per page
More cards per page saves paper but shrinks each card. Match the layout to the game:
- One or two per page for cards people write on a lot, or for younger kids who need big squares. Large print is easier to mark and easier to see.
- Four per page is the sweet spot for most bingo and scavenger-hunt cards, readable, and you get a class set from just a few sheets.
- Six or more per page only when squares hold short words or simple icons. Below a certain size, handwriting and dabbers get cramped.
Print a single test page before you commit to a full batch. It costs one sheet and catches sizing problems early.
Save ink with black-and-white
You almost never need color. Most games read perfectly in grayscale, and black-and-white printing is dramatically cheaper and faster.
- Choose “Black and white” or “Grayscale” in the print dialog to skip color ink entirely.
- Look for a “draft” or “eco/toner-save” mode for practice rounds or disposable cards. It uses less ink at a slightly lighter density, fine for anything that gets recycled after one use.
- Prefer designs with light backgrounds. Heavy solid fills drink ink. Clean, mostly-white game cards are cheaper to print and easier to write on. Our games are built this way on purpose.
The borderless-printing trap
Many home printers can’t print all the way to the paper edge, they leave a small unprintable margin. If a design’s border sits right at the edge, a non-borderless printer will either clip it or shrink the page to fit.
- Keep scaling at 100% and accept a thin white margin around the page. It’s the reliable, predictable result.
- Only enable “borderless” if your printer genuinely supports it and you’re printing photo-style cards to the edge. For everyday games, a small margin is a feature, not a flaw, it gives you a clean line to cut along.
PDF vs browser print
You can usually print a game straight from your browser or save it as a PDF first. Each has a place:
- Print from the browser for a quick, one-off run. Fast and fine for most games. Just double-check the scale is 100% and headers/footers are off.
- Save as PDF first when you want a consistent result you can reprint later, email to a co-host, or take to a print shop. A PDF locks in the layout so it looks the same on every device and printer. It’s the safer choice for a big batch or a scavenger hunt you’ll run more than once.
To save as PDF, choose “Save as PDF” (or “Microsoft Print to PDF”) as the printer in the print dialog, then print that file when you’re ready.
Laminate for reuse
If you want cards to last across multiple parties or a whole school year, laminating is the single best upgrade.
- Pouch laminator: the sturdiest result. Print on plain paper, seal each card in a pouch, and it becomes wipeable and nearly indestructible.
- Self-adhesive laminating sheets: no machine required, peel, place, and press. Great for a handful of cards.
- Clear sleeves or page protectors: the no-tools option. Slide a card in and it’s protected enough for one event.
Laminated cards pair perfectly with dry-erase markers: players mark their card, you wipe it clean, and the same set works for the next round. That turns a single print run into a reusable class or party kit.
A quick pre-print checklist
- Paper size matches your paper (US Letter for US readers)
- Scaling set to 100% / Actual size, not “Fit”
- Grayscale on if you don’t need color
- One test page printed and checked
- Cards-per-page matched to how much people will write
Get those five right and printing becomes a non-event. Start with a free bingo set or a printable scavenger hunt, no signup, no watermark, run one test page, and print the batch with confidence.