Tape Notes · How to
Printing J-cards at home: paper, settings, cutting and folding
11 October 2026 · 6 min read
The short version: print the PDF on A4 at Actual size (100%), on thin card of about 120–170 gsm, cut along the crop marks with a craft knife and a metal ruler, score the fold lines and fold with the print on the outside. This guide goes through paper, printer settings, cutting and folding, and what to do when a card doesn't come out right.
What's on the print sheet
- Real size. 101.6 mm tall; the front is 65.1 mm wide. A card with an inside panel is 168.3 mm wide.
- Bleed. The artwork runs 2 mm past the cut line, so a cut that's slightly off never leaves a white edge.
- Crop marks at the corners show where to cut. They stop short of the card so they don't print on it.
- Fold marks above and below the card show where each fold goes.
The PDF and the HD PNG are the same sheet. Use the PDF when you can: printed at 100% it comes out at exactly the right size. The free download is a smaller watermarked PNG, which is fine for a test print.
Choosing paper
| Paper | Weight | What it's like |
|---|---|---|
| Printer paper | 80–100 gsm | Easy to print and fold. A bit floppy, but fine for a test or a quick tape. |
| Thin card | 120–170 gsm | The best all-rounder. Feels like a shop-bought insert and still folds neatly. |
| Card | 200 gsm and up | Sturdy, but check your printer can take it, and always score before folding or it may crack. |
- Matte or uncoated paper folds cleanly and you can write on it, which suits handwritten mixtape looks.
- Silk or satin gives richer colour and still folds well.
- Glossy photo paper looks bright but tends to crack along folds.
- Match the paper to the printer. Inkjet photo paper isn't made for the heat of a laser printer, so never put it in one; buy laser paper for a laser.
Heavier paper often feeds better through the rear or manual feed slot, if your printer has one. Your printer's manual lists the heaviest paper it takes.
Paper grain
Paper folds more cleanly along its grain, the direction most of its fibres run, and cracks more when folded across it. To find the grain, tear a scrap both ways: the straighter tear runs with the grain. On the print sheet the folds run up and down the page. If a test fold cracks, score it first, or try a different paper.
Printer settings
- Paper size: A4.
- Scale: Actual size or 100%. Not “Fit to page” or “Shrink oversized pages”, which make the card a few percent too small.
- Borderless: off. Borderless printing enlarges the page slightly.
- Paper type: match what's loaded (plain, matte, card), so the printer uses the right amount of ink.
- Quality: high or best.
On US Letter paper? The card sits in the middle of the page, so the PDF printed at 100% on Letter still comes out whole and at the right size; only the small footer line at the bottom may be cut off. Use the PDF rather than the PNG, because a photo app fitting an A4 picture onto Letter shrinks it slightly.
Do a test print first. Print once on plain paper and measure the front panel with a ruler: it should be 65.1 mm wide. Or cut it out and try it in a case before you use the good card.
Colours
A screen glows; paper doesn't, so prints usually look a little darker and less saturated than the preview. Dark designs with lots of solid black also use a lot of ink. Every look on jcard.studio has a lighter ink-saver colour option if a dark version prints muddy.
Cutting
- Let the ink dry for a few minutes, longer on coated paper.
- Put the sheet on a cutting mat. Line a metal ruler up with the two crop marks along one edge.
- Cut with a sharp craft knife in one or two firm strokes, keeping your fingers behind the ruler.
- Repeat for the other three edges. A rotary trimmer or a guillotine is quicker if you're making a batch.
Scissors work too, but a knife and ruler give the straight edges that make a card look shop-bought.
Scoring and folding
- Line the ruler up between a pair of fold marks (one above the card, one below).
- Score the line on the printed side with something smooth and blunt: a bone folder, a ballpoint pen that's run out, or the back of a butter knife. Press firmly, but don't cut.
- Fold along the score so the print stays on the outside. Run a fingernail or the bone folder along the fold to make it sharp.
- Do the same for each fold. On a card with an inside panel, that panel folds in behind the cover, printed side facing the tape.
To fit it: open the case, slide the front panel under the clips in the lid, let the spine sit along the hinge and tuck the flap in behind the tape.
If it doesn't come out right
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Card is too small | The printer scaled the page | Reprint at Actual size / 100%, borderless off |
| White line along an edge | Cut outside the crop marks | Line the ruler up exactly with the marks; the bleed covers small misses |
| Fold cracks | Paper too heavy, against the grain, or not scored | Score first, or use lighter or uncoated paper |
| Card bulges in the case | Folds not sharp, or card too thick | Crease the folds again; try 120–170 gsm |
| Colours too dark | Screen versus paper | Use the lighter colour option, or turn printer brightness up |
| Ink smudges | Glossy paper or heavy ink | Leave it to dry longer, or use matte paper |
Using a copy shop
No printer, or making a batch for a band? Take the PDF to a copy shop and ask for it printed single-sided at 100% (no scaling) on 160–250 gsm silk or matte card. Many will trim it on a guillotine for you; show them the crop marks. For larger runs, see our guide for bands and labels.
Make your J-card
Pick a look on jcard.studio, add your tracklist and words, and download. Free downloads carry a watermark, which is handy for a test print. A 24-hour pass gets you the print-ready PDF and HD sheet with bleed, crop and fold marks. For the basics of sizes and what goes where, see how to make a cassette J-card.
Making a tape? Design a J-card that fits the case.
Start a J-card →Sources
- Paper tips: going against the grain — CreativePro
- Can I use inkjet photo paper in a laser printer? — CompAndSave
- Cassette tape — Wikipedia
More Tape Notes
- How to look after cassettes: storage, cleaning and fixing a chewed tape
- J-card design through the decades: from blank-tape stripes to rave tape packs
- Dolby noise reduction on cassettes: B, C and S explained
- Reading a blank tape's J-card: MOL, SOL, bias, EQ and “high position”
- How to make a mixtape: choosing, timing and recording a cassette
- C-46, C-60 or C-90? How much music fits on a cassette
- Cassettes for bands and labels: a short-run release guide
- How to make a cassette J-card: sizes, printing and folding
- Cassette tape types explained: Type I, II, III and IV
- A short history of the cassette tape