How to Print a SurveyMonkey Survey

You built a survey. It looks great on screen. But now someone needs it on paper — a field researcher, an event coordinator, a clinic receptionist — and you’re staring at the screen wondering if SurveyMonkey even lets you do this.

It does. But it’s not as obvious as clicking “Print.”

This guide walks you through every method, every workaround, and every formatting tip so your printed survey looks professional and actually gets filled out.

Why People Still Print Surveys

Before the how-to, it’s worth understanding the why — because it shapes how you format and distribute.

Paper surveys aren’t obsolete. In fact:

• Over 70% of healthcare providers still rely on paper-based data collection for patient intake and satisfaction tracking, according to research from the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
• A study published in Public Opinion Quarterly found that paper surveys generate 10–15% higher response rates in older demographic groups compared to online-only formats.
• Event and field research teams frequently require printed surveys because internet access is unreliable at venues, trade shows, or community outreach programs.
• According to SurveyMonkey’s own data, more than 17 million people actively use the platform — and a significant portion export their surveys for offline use.
• Research from Quirk’s Media found that mixed-method survey distribution (online + paper) can increase total responses by up to 25% compared to digital-only campaigns.

Whether it’s for accessibility, offline environments, or audience preference, printing a SurveyMonkey survey is a real, practical need.

What SurveyMonkey Allows You to Print

Here’s the honest picture: SurveyMonkey does not have a single built-in “Print Survey” button that outputs a clean, formatted paper version.

What it does have:

• A Print Preview option in the Build section
• The ability to export results (not survey questions) as PDFs
• A Collector link that you can open in a browser and print via your OS

What it doesn’t have natively:

• Direct paper survey formatting
• Automatic print-optimized layouts for complex question types

This means you need to know the right method for your survey type. Below are all three.

Method One — Use the Print Preview in the Builder

This is the fastest option and works well for simple surveys.

Step 1: Log into your SurveyMonkey account Go to surveymonkey.com and open the survey you want to print.

Step 2: Click “Design Survey” or “Edit Survey” This takes you into the survey builder where all your questions live.

Step 3: Look for the Preview option At the top right of the builder, click Preview (the eye icon or the “Preview & Test” button depending on your plan). This opens a live simulation of how your survey appears to respondents.

Step 4: Use your browser’s print function Once the preview is open, press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac). Your browser’s print dialog will appear.

Step 5: Adjust print settings

• Set margins to Minimum or None for more content per page
• Select “Background graphics” if your survey uses color themes
• Change layout to Portrait for standard surveys

Step 6: Save as PDF or Send to Printer Choose your printer or select “Save as PDF” to create a digital version you can share or print later.

Best for: Short surveys (under 10 questions), simple multiple choice or text formats.

Method Two — Use the Web Collector Link

If you want more formatting control or the Preview doesn’t render cleanly, use your live survey link instead.

Step 1: Go to the Collect Responses section In your survey dashboard, click Collect Responses and open or copy your Web Link collector URL.

Step 2: Open the link in a browser Paste the URL into Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. The survey will load exactly as respondents see it.

Step 3: Use browser print (Ctrl + P / Cmd + P) From here, follow the same print steps as Method One — adjust margins, enable background graphics, and print or save as PDF.

Pro tip: Before printing, temporarily remove any redirect pages or “Thank You” screens in your survey settings so they don’t appear in the printed version.

Best for: Surveys with custom branding, logo headers, or specific color formatting you want preserved.

Method Three — Export to PDF and Then Print

This is the most reliable method for professional distribution.

Step 1: Open your survey in the builder Navigate to the survey and click Edit.

Step 2: Use the browser’s PDF save feature from Preview Open Preview mode, then print to PDF (as described in Method One, Step 6). Name and save the file.

Step 3: Open the saved PDF Open it in Adobe Acrobat, Preview (Mac), or any PDF viewer.

Step 4: Print from the PDF viewer PDF viewers give you the most control — paper size, duplex printing, page scaling, copies, and more.

Step 5: Add answer boxes if needed If your survey uses open-text questions, the printed version may show a small text box. In your PDF viewer or a free tool like Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can resize or annotate boxes before printing.

Best for: Professional surveys, multi-page questionnaires, branded materials for events or offices.

Formatting Tips for Clean Printed Surveys

Printing a survey isn’t just about the output — it’s about whether people actually complete it. Here’s what separates a clean print from a confusing mess:

Keep questions short and scannable Long blocks of text are hard to read on paper. If a question is more than two lines, split it or simplify it.

Use at least 12pt font size Most browser defaults are 11pt or smaller. Before printing, increase the browser zoom level to 110–125% to force larger text.

Test print one page first Before printing 50 copies, print a single test page. Check that answer boxes are large enough to write in, that column layouts don’t bleed off the edge, and that nothing is cut off.

Leave space for open-ended answers SurveyMonkey’s text boxes look fine on screen but shrink dramatically when printed. If you have “Other” fields or comment sections, add a note in the question text like (Please write your answer below) so respondents know to use the blank space.

Number your pages If your survey is more than one page, add page numbers before printing so respondents don’t lose their place.

Include a header with context Print a simple header — survey title, date, location — so completed paper surveys can be sorted easily when you collect them.

How to Enter Paper Responses Back into SurveyMonkey

Printing is only half the work. Getting those paper responses back into your data is the other half.

SurveyMonkey offers a feature called Manual Data Entry — available on paid plans — that lets you input paper survey responses directly into the platform so they merge with your online results.

How to use it:

1. Go to Collect Responses in your survey
2. Click Add Collector → select Manual Data Entry
3. Enter each paper respondent’s answers one by one
4. All responses are stored in your results dashboard alongside digital entries

Why it matters: According to SurveyMonkey, teams that consolidate online and offline responses in one platform spend 40% less time on data aggregation than those managing separate spreadsheets.

If you have a large volume of paper responses, consider using a data entry assistant or a tool like Google Forms to batch-enter responses quickly before importing.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Problem: Survey cuts off at the edges when printed Fix: In your browser print dialog, set margins to Default or Minimum, and ensure the scale is set to “Fit to page” rather than 100%.

Problem: Colors and branding don’t appear on paper Fix: In the print dialog, enable “Background graphics” or “Print backgrounds.” This setting is off by default in most browsers.

Problem: Multiple choice bubbles are too small to fill in Fix: Increase browser zoom before printing (try 120–130%). This forces larger bubbles and more spacing.

Problem: Survey spans too many pages Fix: Reduce spacing in your survey builder (if your plan allows), remove logos or header images, or increase the number of questions per page using SurveyMonkey’s Page grouping setting.

Problem: Text entry boxes disappear when printed Fix: This happens with some browser-print combinations. Use the PDF method (Method Three) for surveys with open-text questions — PDF rendering preserves text fields better.

SurveyMonkey Plans and Print Features

Not all features are available on every plan. Here’s what matters for printing:

If you’re printing for a professional environment, the SurveyMonkey footer at the bottom of the survey page will also appear in your printed version on free accounts. Upgrading to a paid plan removes this.

According to SurveyMonkey’s pricing data, the Advantage plan starts at approximately $39/month — which also unlocks A/B testing, advanced question types, and custom variables.

When Paper Surveys Have Limits — And What to Do Next

Paper surveys are great for capturing offline responses. But if your goal is gathering qualified leads, booking sales meetings, or reaching decision-makers at scale, a printed form left in a waiting room won’t cut it.

Here’s what the data says:

• The average cold email response rate is 1–5%, according to HubSpot research
• LinkedIn outbound campaigns consistently achieve 15–25% response rates when executed with proper targeting and messaging
• 65 million decision-makers are active on LinkedIn, reachable without any spam filter, no email deliverability issues, and no printing required
• Companies using systematic outbound strategies report 3x faster pipeline growth compared to inbound-only approaches, per Gartner

If you’re using surveys to qualify leads or collect contact information, there’s a faster way to fill your pipeline with ready-to-buy prospects.

Conclusion

Printing a SurveyMonkey survey isn’t a one-click process, but it’s absolutely doable once you know which method to use.

For quick offline distribution, the Preview print method works fine. For polished, branded outputs — especially for professional settings — save to PDF first, then print from a dedicated PDF viewer. And if you’re collecting paper responses, use Manual Data Entry to bring everything back into one dashboard.

The real unlock is combining both digital and offline collection. Surveys distributed across both channels consistently outperform single-format approaches, and with SurveyMonkey’s tools, keeping all that data in one place is manageable.

Now print that survey, hand it out, and start collecting the insights you need.