A good page.
A familiar pencil.
Time to think.

Keep the grid at its intended size.

Download the PDF before printing. Choose A4 paper and portrait orientation, then use Actual size or 100% in your PDF reader. Select one page per sheet. Printing two pages on one sheet shrinks both grids and leaves less space for candidate numbers.

For our two-puzzle starter, print page 2; page 3 holds the answers. For the daily Sudoku, print page 1 and keep page 2 for checking. You can read the answer on screen and save the second sheet.

Check the preview before confirming. You should see the entire grid, its outer border and the page label. If your printer clips the border at actual size, choose Fit in the PDF print dialog. This can reduce the grid slightly, but is preferable to losing a row or column. On US Letter paper, use Fit rather than forcing A4 at 100%.

Give pencil marks their own space.

Use small candidate numbers in the corners of a cell and reserve its centre for a confirmed answer. Make candidates light enough to erase without obscuring the printed lines. If a cell becomes crowded, write its candidates in the margin with a row and column reference, such as r4c7.

An HB pencil is a reasonable starting point. HB sits between the harder H grades and the softer B grades; softer graphite generally makes a darker mark. Faber-Castell explains the grading scale. The grade is a useful guide, rather than a promise that every brand feels identical.

If you already use a mechanical pencil, keep using it. Match replacement leads to the diameter printed on the pencil. A wooden pencil lets you adjust the point with a sharpener; a mechanical pencil saves you sharpening. Neither is necessary to solve a Sudoku well.

Before starting, write and erase a few digits in a spare margin. If they smear, try lighter pressure and avoid resting your hand on fresh marks. If the paper starts to roughen, stop rubbing and reprint that page rather than fighting a damaged cell.

Choose paper for the printer you own.

Plain A4 printer paper is a sensible first choice for a black-and-white grid. Use a clean sheet and try one puzzle before printing several days at once. If you want a firmer page, check your printer’s supported paper weights and the correct feed tray before buying heavier stock. Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre, usually written as gsm.

Heavier does not automatically mean better for your machine. Brother’s paper guide recommends checking the model’s maximum supported weight. Use your own printer’s manual for its exact limits and feed instructions.

A clipboard or a flat book beneath the sheet can provide a firm writing surface. A loose sheet also lets you turn the page as you write. Start with a surface you have nearby; a new accessory is optional.

Fix one thing, then print one page.

The grid looks too small.

Check that “multiple pages per sheet” is off. Return to portrait A4 and Actual size. A small on-screen preview does not by itself mean the printed page will be small.

The edge is missing.

Confirm the loaded paper matches the print dialog. If it still clips, use Fit. Print the PDF itself rather than a screenshot of this website.

The numbers are faint.

Try normal print quality instead of draft or economy mode. If other documents are faint too, follow the printer’s own ink or toner troubleshooting steps.

Only a blank page comes out.

Check the selected page number and print preview. Save the PDF locally and reopen it in a PDF reader. Try a single page before retrying the whole file.

You want more writing room.

Choose the daily download, which has one large grid per puzzle page. The starter has two grids on its puzzle page.