I have a system that produces PDFs online, and it works great when the end user has a "print to edge" option for their printer. Unfortunately not everyone has, and the PDF needs to print with precise to-scale sizing.

 

Is there any easy way to do this? Is there any safe margin width I can just go with? I can rebuild it to cope with some degree of non-printable area if it's consistent but no one has a clue about what their printers can handle (hundreds of non technical people with printers from last week to the 90s to deal with) and I'm quite discombobulated by much of a pain this is.

 

If I can just set it one way that gives a consistent result for 97% of the users we can probably get by as long as that 3% doesn't contain a CEO.

 

 

If I can find out that '0.x inches' is 'safe' for any printer, I can set it to use that and make everything size okay. Any recommendations for x?

Most of the older and newer printers have a default of not more than .75".

I don't know if that would give consistent results though because there are those of us that set the margins to less than the default - I typically use .4" margins at top and bottom with a .5" margin for left and right.

The three major styles, APA, MLA, and Chicago, all require that there be at least one inch margins all around the page. I am guessing that these was selected to optimize the number of people who could successfully print a work. This as well as Paul's stating a default of .75" suggests that setting the margins to 1" all around would probably be a safe bet to work for most people.

(...) and the PDF needs to print with precise to-scale sizing.

 

You are screwed. You will never be sure that other people will print correctly your pdf. If you find a solution, tell me.

Only through some CAD application. And even there you are never sure.