Know what is in your PDF.
A Crossword Edit purchase is $7 once. Your download contains two pages: the blank crossword for guests and a matching page with the answers filled in. You choose Letter or A4 before checkout. Printing is something you arrange at home or with a print shop.
Start by opening the downloaded PDF and looking at both pages. Check your names, date if included, title, clues and answers. The purchased PDF contains the design you approved at checkout; changing a draft in the editor later does not rewrite that purchase.
Choose Letter or A4 before buying.
Match the PDF to the paper you will use. Letter measures 8.5 × 11 inches. A4 measures 210 × 297 mm. They are different proportions, so changing the printer setting alone can add scaling or extra margins.
If you are using a print shop, ask which size they will print and whether they need any particular margins. In Crossword Edit, select that size in the print-set review and check the preview before paying.
Print the guest page, not the whole file.
- Open the PDF in a PDF viewer and choose Print.
- Select page 1 for the blank guest crossword.
- Choose the same paper size as your downloaded PDF.
- Use portrait orientation and start with Actual size or 100% scaling.
- Print one copy and inspect it before choosing the final quantity.
Keep two-sided printing off for guest copies. Otherwise the answer key can end up on the reverse. Print page 2 separately when you want a reference for yourselves or whoever is hosting the activity.
Check the edges and the writing space.
Printers have different unprintable margins. If a border or illustration is cut off, choose the viewer’s Fit or Fit to printable area setting and test again. That may make the entire design slightly smaller, so check that the cells are still comfortable to write in.
A printed crossword should be easy to solve with a pen or pencil at the table. Read the longest clue from a normal seated distance. Write a word into the smallest cells. If either feels cramped, shorten the clues or use fewer answers in the editor before purchasing your final version.
Use paper that works with your printer.
Plain, uncoated paper is a straightforward starting point. If you want heavier paper, check your printer’s supported paper types and feed settings first. A print shop can show you stock that works with its equipment.
Light paper colors and dark grid lines are useful when the goal is easy reading and writing. A dark background can use a lot of ink, and a screen cannot show you exactly how your printer will reproduce a color. Test the actual PDF on the actual paper rather than judging from a screenshot.
Crossword Edit’s designs are color artwork in a PDF. A gold-colored detail prints in your printer’s ordinary inks; it does not create metallic foil. Ask a printer separately if you want a specialty production process.
Send the PDF to a print shop.
Send the downloaded file itself rather than a screenshot of the preview. Tell the printer the page size, quantity and whether you want only page 1 reproduced. Ask for a proof copy when possible.
If you want multiple puzzles on one sheet or a smaller finished card, ask the shop to explain the scaling first. Reducing the whole page also reduces the clues and writing cells. The download is supplied as a full-page Letter or A4 PDF, so check a reduced test copy before committing to a batch.
A last check before the wedding.
- The guest copies contain a blank puzzle, with no answer key on the back.
- The entire border and illustration fit inside the printed area.
- Your longest clue is legible and the grid is comfortable to write in.
- Names, dates, clue numbers and spellings are correct.
- You have pens or pencils ready and one separate answer key.
If the puzzle still needs a few good questions, use our wedding crossword clue ideas to balance familiar details with personal stories.
Need the file again?
Open your saved purchase link or visit purchase recovery. If you cannot find it or a download is not working, contact blaineritz@gmail.com with the email used at checkout and any receipt details you have.