Printable Ruler (Actual Size)
Design your own paper ruler and print it at true size. Pick inches, centimeters or both, the mark spacing, length and paper, then print or save as PDF. No sign-up.
How to print a ruler at the correct size
- Choose your template and paper size above. The preview updates instantly.
- Press Print / Save as PDF. In the print dialog set Scale: 100% or Actual size, and turn off Fit to page / Shrink oversized pages.
- Check the test square on the printout with a coin or card: it must be exactly 1 inch (2.54 cm) or 2 cm.
- Cut along the dashed lines. For rulers in parts, tape them end to end in order; the numbers continue.
- Tip: print on card stock, or glue the paper to cardboard, for a stiffer ruler.
Printable templates
12 inch ruler (1/16″)
The classic school and office ruler, split to fit Letter or A4.
Decimal inch ruler (1/10″)
Tenths of an inch for engineering and label measuring.
30 cm ruler
Metric ruler with millimeter marks.
6 inch / 15 cm pocket ruler
Inches on one edge, centimeters on the other. Fits many on a page.
Meter stick
A full 1 m ruler in parts with continuous numbering.
Tape measure
150 cm or 60 in for waist, chest, hip and head measurements.
Ring sizer
A strip sizer plus ring circles for US sizes 3 to 13.
Protractor
A 180° protractor with 1° marks and a cm edge.
Graph paper
Metric, inch and dot grids.
Why our printable rulers are more accurate
Many printable rulers are scanned images or PDFs set up for one paper size, so they print slightly off. Ours are drawn as vectors in millimeters at print time, for the paper you choose, and include a test square on every page so you can confirm accuracy before you measure.
Frequently asked questions
How do I print a ruler at actual size?
Press Print, then in the print dialog choose 100% scale or Actual size and turn off Fit to page or Shrink to fit. Afterwards, measure the test square printed on the page; it must be exactly 1 inch or 2 cm.
Can I print a 12 inch ruler on Letter paper?
Yes. Choose landscape for a 10 inch strip, or keep portrait and the ruler is split into two parts you tape together. The numbers continue across parts so the joined ruler reads 0 to 12.
Can I save the ruler as a PDF?
Yes. Press Print and choose Save as PDF (or Microsoft Print to PDF) as the printer. You can also download an SVG vector file that prints at exact size from any graphics program.
Which printable rulers can I make?
Inch rulers with 1/16, 1/8 or decimal 1/10 inch marks, metric rulers in cm and mm, combined inch and cm rulers, lengths from 6 inches to 1 meter, a 150 cm or 60 inch tape measure, a ring sizer, a protractor and graph paper.
Why is my printed ruler slightly off?
The printer scaled the page. Reprint at 100% with no fit-to-page scaling. Some inkjet printers still vary by about 1%, so check the test square before relying on the ruler.
No printer? Use the on-screen ruler
The online ruler shows actual size on your phone or computer after a 20-second calibration.