1. Match the PDF paper size to the printer
Choose A4, Letter, A3 or Tabloid in the calculator. The paper menu shows dimensions and the sheet count for your current joint. A3 and Tabloid can reduce the number of joins, but only use them with a printer that supports those sizes.
Select the same size in the print dialog. Print all pages from the same exported file. The current limit is 64 sheets; changing the measured tube dimensions to reduce the count would make the template incorrect.
2. Print at Actual size / 100%
In your PDF viewer, select Actual size or a custom scale of 100%. Disable Fit, Shrink oversized pages and multiple-pages-per-sheet printing. Print single-sided so each template tile remains available for assembly.
The file is already divided into overlapping pages. Do not apply a second poster-tiling operation. If the printer clips a calibration mark or part of the drawing, check the paper selection and printable margins instead of shrinking the template.
3. Measure both rulers before using the pattern
The horizontal reference must measure 100 mm and the vertical reference 20 mm. Measure between the endpoint marks, not the width of the text. Input units do not change these reference lengths.
If a nominal 100 mm line measures 97 mm, the print is approximately 3% too small. Correct the print settings and print again. If the two directions scale differently, one percentage correction cannot solve both; check the printing workflow.
Check every sheet you will use. This website cannot verify your printer remotely, and these instructions do not claim that your physical print has passed a measurement check.
4. Trim and overlap the matching page targets
Lay out pages left to right, then top to bottom. Use the large page numbers, ROW/COL labels and the on-screen page layout. Confirm the template code and paper size match on every page.
On sheets with a left or top neighbor, trim along the dashed line through the alignment target centers on that edge. Keep outer edges untrimmed where there is no neighbor. The area outside the trim line repeats content from the preceding sheet.
Overlay the trimmed edge on its neighbor. A mark labeled 3-4 A matches 3-4 A; also match 3-4 B to 3-4 B before taping. Matching both targets helps prevent rotation. Use the same process for vertical joins.
Do not butt the paper edges together, and do not discard a portion of the assembled curve because it appeared in the overlap. The circled crosses are registration targets, not cut lines.
5. Wrap the assembled template and mark the cut
Check the assembled wrap length against the tube circumference. Position the template square to the tube axis and align the 0° and 360° seams. Keep the dash-dot square-end datum visible.
Trace the solid curve. The indicated region above the curve is removed; the region below is retained. Dashed trim lines and circled targets are only for the paper assembly.
Test the fit on a spare piece before production. The template describes outside-surface geometry, without wall-thickness compensation, weld gap, bevel or kerf. Use the requirements of your actual fabrication process.
If something does not line up
Rulers are short or long: check scaling and paper size. Targets align but the curve jumps: verify all sheets came from the same file and share the template code, then check their order. Paper wraps at an angle: recheck the seam and tube-axis alignment.
Template circumference differs from the tube: check actual OD versus nominal size and input units. A code match confirms the same layout parameters; it does not replace measuring the printed scale.