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How to Print at a Copy Shop

To print at a copy shop, unzip your download, bring the PDF or image files on a USB drive or send them through the shop’s online upload, and ask for 100% scale, no fit to page, on the paper size the file was made for. For cards and games, ask for cardstock. That’s most of it.

A print center is worth the trip when you need cardstock your printer won’t feed, a stack of copies for a party or a classroom, or wall art larger than a home printer can handle. Chains like Staples, FedEx Office and Office Depot OfficeMax have print counters, and so do many independent copy shops.

Before you go

Unzip first. Your purchase downloads as a ZIP file. Open it at home and pick out the files you want printed; a copy shop’s computer may not open a ZIP for you. How to download and unzip walks through it.

Pick the right file. For PDFs that come in US Letter and A4, bring the US Letter file if you’re printing in the United States. See US Letter or A4 if you’re not sure.

Choose only the pages you need. Many of our books have answer keys, guides and pages you may not want on cardstock. Note the page numbers you need, which saves money at the counter.

Get the files there. A USB drive is the simplest. Most chains also let you upload files through their website and pick up the prints later, which avoids waiting at the counter.

What to ask for

Write this down or show it on your phone:

  • Scale: 100%, actual size, no fit to page
  • Paper size: 8.5 × 11 in (US Letter), or the size of the file
  • Paper: plain, heavier text paper, or cardstock (65 to 80 lb cover works for game cards and bingo boards)
  • Sides: single-sided, unless the file has a card-back page meant for double-sided printing
  • Color: full color or black and white
  • Copies: how many of each page

If you’re printing cards that need cutting apart, ask whether the shop can trim them on a paper cutter. It’s faster and straighter than scissors, especially for a full deck.

Scale matters more than it sounds. A job set to fit the page to the paper shrinks everything slightly, so say 100% out loud even if you’ve typed it in an upload form. How to print at actual size explains why that throws off cards, grids and templates.

Printing wall art

Our wall art comes as square JPG files. Ask for a square print, such as 8 × 8, 10 × 10 or 12 × 12 inches, and choose frames in the same size.

How big you can go depends on the file. By our own arithmetic, a 4096-pixel square file gives a sharp print up to about 13.6 inches across at 300 pixels per inch. The four seasons set uses 2048-pixel files, which print sharply up to about 6.8 inches at the same density. Larger than that, the print will look softer up close.

A heavy matte or photo paper suits most prints. If you want the print to fill the paper edge to edge, ask whether the shop can print borderless or trim it.

If staff ask about the files

Staff may ask whether you have the right to print a design, especially artwork that looks professional. The license PDF in your ZIP shows what your purchase covers, so it’s worth having on your phone. For the full terms, see our License page.

Printing a lot of copies

For a classroom or a big party, black-and-white copies on plain paper cost far less than color on cardstock. Many of our party games and activity books include an ink-saving black-and-white file, which also prints well at a copy counter. Print one test copy before you order the full stack.