How to Print an Iris-Folding Pattern at 100% Scale

Before export

Confirm the intended physical size

Decide the finished aperture and card size before exporting. A pattern designed for one opening may not remain practical if the page or card is reduced later. Check numbering and fold density at the intended scale.

Keep a calibration mark or known measurement in the output. A physical reference makes scale verifiable instead of relying on the print dialog label alone.

PDF

Choose Actual Size, not automatic fitting

Open the calibrated PDF in the application you will actually use for printing. In the print dialog choose 100% or Actual Size. Disable Fit to Page, Shrink Oversized Pages, Scale to Printable Area, or similarly named automatic options.

Paper size and orientation must also match the file. A correct 100% setting cannot prevent clipping if the selected page size is wrong or the printer’s non-printable margins cut into the pattern.

• Scale: 100% or Actual Size
• Fit or Shrink: Off
• Correct paper size and orientation
• No borderless mode unless deliberately tested

Measure

Verify the printed calibration mark

Measure the known reference with a reliable ruler after printing. If the mark is wrong, do not compensate by guessing a different percentage and distributing the file as fixed. Identify whether the PDF viewer, print driver, paper setting, or export changed the scale.

Document the application and settings that produced the verified output. Teachers and pattern sellers can include a short actual-size instruction with the file while still asking the recipient to measure their own test print.

SVG

Inspect scale after importing into another tool

SVG supports vector and digital craft workflows, but destination applications can interpret document units, artboards, and import scaling differently. Open the SVG in the actual next tool and check a known dimension before editing or sending it onward.

Avoid converting between applications repeatedly without a measurement checkpoint. Each import, export, or page-layout step is a chance for a unit or artboard setting to change.

Physical test

Build one complete sample

A measured print proves scale, but a built sample checks the full production result. Follow every number, confirm paper-strip coverage, inspect the center, and note any label or line that becomes difficult to read.

Preserve the tested file as a named revision. If geometry, aperture, page layout, or export settings change, treat the result as a new output and repeat the calibration and build check.

• Calibration mark measures correctly.
• Numbering remains readable.
• Paper strips cover the intended areas.
• The center and aperture behave as expected.
• The tested revision is clearly named.

Continue with a related guide

• Start with an original aperture workflow
• Compare triangle, square, and pentagon geometry
• Use a separate pre-commitment checklist