Print Patterns vs PDF digital Patterns

All of our patterns are available for purchase as print patterns or as PDF digital downloads. Printed patterns are mailed to you after you purchase them. PDF digital patterns arrive via email in your inbox immediately after you purchase them, with no waiting. Then you simply download them onto your computer. We offer PDF digital patterns at 25% off the print pattern price as you have the additional price of printing the pattern. 

Printing Instructions for your PDF digital Pattern

There are instructions on the shop page for each PDF digital pattern for printing it. They will tell you how and on what size paper the pattern booklets and pattern pieces need to be printed.

Printing at Home vs at a Large Format Copy Shop, particularly since the advent of the Corona virus

All pattern booklets are printed on 8.5” x 11” paper, so are easy to print on an in-home printer. Our instructions say that most of the actual pattern pieces need to be printed at a large format copy shop. But there is another option if your printer can print in POSTER tiles. Read further to find out more.

Printing Pattern booklets ACTUAL size

Our booklets print on 8.5” x 11” paper so that’s very easy. It’s important to check, however, that your printer is set to print at ACTUAL or FULL size. Some printers use different language, so just read your print screen. Many printers default to print at FIT.  To change to ACTUAL/ FULL size, just click next to those words on your print screen.

Printing Pattern pieces

Our pattern pieces vary in size. Again, on the shop page for the PDF digital pattern you are interested in, we tell you what size paper the pattern piece prints on at FULL size.

Normally we would have you transfer the pattern piece onto a USB stick and take it to a large format copy shop to get it printed.  But in these times of self-quaratine, you do have another option, depending on your in-home printer. 

POSTER printing

Most printers have an option under “Page Size & Handling” to click POSTER.  It enables your printer to print our large pattern pieces onto several pieces of 8.5” x 11” paper, Poster tiles, if you will, at full-size.   My printer shows me a small print preview window of the poster tiles it will print.

Below are two examples of my printer’s Poster print preview window for two patterns.  One is for Block 10 in which the pattern piece is designed to print on 12” x 18” paper, and Sweetheart Sorbet, Medallion XII in which the pattern piece is designed to print on paper that is 30” x 30”.

Once printed, you will then need to tape these POSTER TILE pages together to make your full-size pattern piece. How many Poster tiles will print will depend on how big the pattern piece is.

Now you are ready to begin.

Want to try a PDF digital pattern? Click here: PDF Patterns .

Of course if this still seems complicated or your printer doesn’t let you print POSTER, all our patterns are available in print. Click here: Print Patterns.