How to Print CD Covers at Home
A no-nonsense step-by-step guide to getting sharp, properly-sized prints from your home printer.
What You Will Need
- A4 paper — matte photo paper (120–160 g/m²) gives the best result; standard 80g office paper also works
- A printer — inkjet or laser, both produce fine results
- A sharp craft knife or scissors
- A metal ruler
- A cutting mat (optional, protects your desk)
Step-by-Step
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Generate your PDF from CDcovers.cc
Upload your front and back artwork, enter spine text, add any retro overlays, and click Generate Print-Ready PDF. The file downloads automatically.
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Open the PDF at 100% scale
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, browser PDF viewer, or Preview (Mac). In the print dialog, set size to Actual Size or 100%. Never use "Fit to Page", "Scale to Fit", or "Shrink Oversized Pages" — these will change the dimensions and the cover will not fit your case.
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Choose the right paper and print quality
Use A4 paper. For quality, set your printer to its highest quality setting (Photo or Best). If you have a choice of paper type in the driver, select Matte Photo Paper for best colour accuracy. Plain paper at high quality also works well.
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Print a test on plain paper first
Before committing your good paper, print a test page on ordinary office paper. Hold it up to a light or against the jewel case to verify the dimensions match. The front cover should be 121×120mm and the back 150×118mm.
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Trim along the crop marks
The PDF includes small crop marks at each corner of each element. These are your cutting guides. Use a metal ruler and a sharp knife for straight cuts. Score lightly first if using thick photo paper. For the back cover, fold the two spine sections before inserting.
Tip: If your printout looks slightly off-size, check that your PDF viewer is not adding printer margins. In Adobe Reader, try File → Print → Page Setup and set all margins to 0.
Paper Recommendations
| Paper Type | Weight | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Matte Photo Paper | 120–180 g/m² | Professional-looking, durable covers |
| Glossy Photo Paper | 150–200 g/m² | Vivid colours, high-gloss retail look |
| Standard Office Paper | 80 g/m² | Quick test prints, rough demos |
| Silk/Satin Paper | 120–160 g/m² | Between matte and gloss, nice feel |
Common Mistakes
Scaling is on
The single most common problem. Always confirm your print dialog shows 100% or Actual Size. Even 99% will make the cover fractionally too small and it will not sit correctly in the spine slots.
Wrong paper orientation
Print in Portrait orientation on A4. The PDF is designed for portrait layout — rotating to landscape will clip the content.
Trimming too aggressively
Cut outside the crop marks, not through them. The crop mark itself is a guide line, not a score line. Cut just outside of it to leave a clean white-free edge.
Low-resolution artwork
If your printed cover looks blurry or pixelated, your source image resolution was too low. See our FAQ for recommended pixel dimensions.
Generate your PDF now
Upload your artwork and get a print-ready A4 PDF in seconds.
Open the Print Tool