SimplPrint Actual size (100 %)
Pages print at their real size, centered on the paper, without shrinking to fit the margins. What falls in the margins shows in the preview.
1:1 scale
Precise printing for Windows
Print at real size: 100 mm is 100 mm
SimplPrint is simple engineering printing. Drawings, templates, sewing patterns and stencils print at 1:1: a ruler, a grid and measuring over the print preview show where every line lands on the paper, and a calibration corrects your printer's own error.
FreeNo installationNo driversWindows 10/11
π Measured: 120.0 mm
π― Printer error: corrected
Why drawings print the wrong size
Ordinary printing quietly changes the size
To fit a page inside the printer's margins, Windows and most apps shrink it. Add the printer's own error, and a part cut out from a template no longer fits.
β97 %
An A4 page printed "fit to page" shrinks to the edges of the margins.
Β±1 %
A printer's typical own error, across and down, each direction its own.
up to 8 mm
What 200 mm can lose when the shrinking and the printer's error add up.
Measured: β
Try it: measure the drawing
This is a simplified copy of SimplPrint's preview. Drag with the mouse or a finger between two points to get the distance in millimeters on paper. Switch the mode to see what ordinary printing does to the 100 mm check segment.
- Ruler and grid in millimeters, on screen but not on paper
- "As printed": with the printer's margins, shrinking and calibration
- Ctrl or Shift keep the line straight, in 15Β° steps
A click without dragging clears the measurements, as in the app.
Size calibration: once, with a ruler
SimplPrint prints a page with a 10 mm grid. You measure it with an ordinary ruler and type in two numbers, across and down. From then on every page is enlarged or shrunk by exactly the printer's error.
- Across and down separately
- A check page shows the result
- The same kind of calibration for borderless printing
Without calibration: 99.2 mm
With calibration: β
Steps: print the grid β measure it with a ruler β type it into SimplPrint.
Features
Everything for precise printing, in one app
We have not seen the following in ordinary printing apps: here sizes can be seen, checked and corrected before the paper leaves the printer.
Size calibration
Corrects the printer's error across and down separately. Measure once, and 100 mm on the page are 100 mm on paper.
Rarely found elsewhereRuler, grid and measuring
A millimeter ruler and grid over the preview, and the distance between any two points. They are not on the paper, unless you want them printed.
In the preview and the editorBorderless printing, calibrated
Printers enlarge borderless pages and cut off the edges. A calibration page shows how much, and the print matches the preview.
A4, A5, photo sizes and more
Screenshots
What it looks like
Real screenshots with an A4 drawing; most show the Russian interface, which switches to English with one button. Click a picture to enlarge it.
Ruler, grid and measuring
Turn on Ruler, Grid and Measure above the preview. "As printed" gives millimeters on the paper: with the printer's margins, shrinking to fit and the calibration. Here the holes are exactly 120.0 mm apart and the check segment measures 100.1 mm.
Size calibration
"Add size calibration page" adds a 10 mm grid and sets printing up for it. Measure it from line 0 to 100 and type the result in: this printer printed 99.2 mm across and 100.6 mm down.
Borderless printing and its calibration
Numbered lines at each edge show how much the printer cuts off. Enter the first printed lines and borderless prints match the preview to the millimeter.
An editor right in the preview
Marks, arrows, shapes, text, brush and eraser, pictures from a file or the clipboard. The ruler, grid and measurements can be drawn into the page and printed.
Scanning without drivers
From the glass and the document feeder, two-sided by turning the stack by hand. Network scanners over eSCL (AirScan, Mopria), USB scanners through WIA. Saves PDF and JPEG.
The printer's own Wi-Fi
No router nearby? SimplPrint joins the printer's DIRECT-β¦ network, finds the printer and scanner, and takes the PC back to the home network with one click.
Printers and scanners
Works with the printer you already have
No vendor software and no driver hunting: network devices need nothing installed.
π‘
Network and Wi-Fi
Prints over IPP (IPP Everywhere, AirPrint, Mopria) and scans over eSCL. Finds the printer and scanner by itself, even when they are different devices.
π
USB and Windows drivers
Printers and scanners installed in Windows, on a cable or with their own driver. The job is followed in the Windows queue.
πΆ
Wi-Fi Direct
Joins the printer's own DIRECT-β¦ network without a router and goes back to the home network with one click.
π‘οΈ
Works with a VPN on
The printer is reached straight through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, past the VPN's routes. If a VPN blocks the network, the app says what to exclude.
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AirPrint printers
Pages go as Apple raster to printers that take only that.
π
Private
No telemetry, no account. Documents never leave the PC except to go to your printer.
- Two-sided printing by turning the stack on printers without duplex
- Out of paper mid-job: prints the rest, nothing twice
- Opens PDF, JPEG and PNG and mixes them with scans
- Saves PDF (scans not recompressed) and JPEG
- Unsaved pages survive a crash or close
- English and Russian interface, a full guide
Comparison
What makes SimplPrint different
Compared with what Windows printing, PDF viewers and printer makers' apps usually do.
| Feature | SimplPrint | Windows printing and PDF viewers | Printer makers' apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printing at actual size, without shrinking | β | often ("Actual size") | depends on the app |
| Printer scale calibration with a ruler | β | β | β |
| Ruler, grid and measuring over the preview | β | β | β |
| "As printed" preview with the printer's margins | β | approximate | approximate |
| Borderless calibration | β | β | β |
| Network printing and scanning without drivers | β | driver needed | own app and driver |
| Works with a VPN on | β | often misses the printer | often misses the printer |
| No installation, account or telemetry | β | β | often an account |
Compared with what these kinds of apps typically offer; individual apps may have features of their own.
Beta testing
Help make SimplPrint better
SimplPrint is in open beta. Feedback is most welcome on what cannot be checked without your hardware:
- Size calibration accuracy on your printer (mm per 100 mm before and after)
- Printers and all-in-ones of different makes: network, AirPrint, USB, Wi-Fi Direct
- USB and network scanners
- Your VPN
Please mention your printer and Windows version. The app's log is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\PrinterDesk\logs.
Report a bug or an idea
- Describe what you did and what happened
- Attach a screenshot or a photo of the print
Getting started
Three steps to your first exact print
Download
One file, SimplPrint.exe, 67 MB. Nothing to install, not even .NET.
Run it
If Windows SmartScreen warns you, click More info β Run anyway: the file is not code-signed yet.
Print
The printer is found by itself. Tick Actual size, do the size calibration once, and print at 1:1.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is SimplPrint free?
Yes. It is free, with no ads in the app, no account and no telemetry. The code is under the MIT license.
Why does my printer print the wrong size?
Ordinary printing shrinks the page to fit inside the printer's margins (an A4 page comes out at about 97 %), and the printer adds its own error of about 1 %. SimplPrint prints at actual size and has a size calibration that corrects the printer's error.
How do I calibrate my printer?
On the Print tab open Size calibration, click Add size calibration page and print it. Measure the grid from line 0 to 100 across and down with a ruler and type in the two numbers. A check page shows the result.
Do I need printer drivers?
Not for network printers and all-in-ones: SimplPrint prints over IPP (IPP Everywhere, AirPrint, Mopria) and scans over eSCL. Printers and scanners on USB work through the driver installed in Windows.
Why does Windows warn me when I start it?
The file is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen shows a warning. Click More info, then Run anyway.
Does it work with a VPN on?
Yes, with most VPNs: the app reaches the printer straight through Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If a VPN blocks the local network (kill switch), SimplPrint names the subnet to exclude in the VPN's settings.
Download SimplPrint
Beta 0.6.0 for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). One file, no installation. Settings and unsaved pages are kept between runs.
Download SimplPrint.exe67 MB Β· free