How To Print My Patterns

This is a question I am asked over and over. So I thought I would clarify some easy steps you can take to make sure that the pattern you print at home is as accurate as possible.

All of my patterns have an inch line or box. When you print out your pattern, check against this box for accuracy. Use a ruler or a professional standard tape measure. Both patterns in these images are accurate.

But what if your inch line or box isn't accurate? Please do remember that all printers / copiers have different options and menus. It's likely that your own printer wont look exactly like mine does here. These images are to guide you and give you a general idea of what to look out for:

This is my print option screen. Where it lists "Page Scaling" the option selected is NONE. This is correct and this is what we want. It means that the document will print as is without any automatic (and usually helpful) re-sizing.

In the snap below, the printer has automatically selected "Shrink to Printable Area". Again, this is usually helpful, but is not wanted when printing patterns. In this instance, you would select "none" as the option (just like the snap above).

In the snap below, the printer has selected "Fit to Printable Area". Again, this is usually helpful, but is not wanted when printing patterns. In this instance, you would select "none" as the option (just like the snap above).

It's quite common for printers to automatically re-size PDF documents. You may not have even noticed this feature. With my patterns, the work is always within the margins of A4 paper, so you don't need to think about whether the pattern will fit the page. It always will.

Make sure your printer is not adjusting your print out and also take a moment to look at the margins of the printable area, as in the snap below. Sometimes they can set themselves to half a page or 80% for no apparent reason. In this snap below, everything is fine and the pattern printed perfectly.

So, to sum up: 

All patterns are set to print to A4 for easy home printing

Make sure that your printer is set to print to 100%
If your print preview shows that you are set to print at 95%, make sure the default "shrink to printable area" box is not checked. If it is, uncheck it.

Make sure your printer does not ‘re-scale– PDF documents prior to printing.

For all ‘re-scaling’ options, select none 

For all ‘shrink to printable area’ options, ensure this is not set

Check that the "Inch Square" I add to each pattern actually measures an inch when you print it out. This ensures that you are printing the pattern at the correct size. If you do not print accurately, measure the difference and adjust your pattern accordingly.


I hope this clarifies any printing issues, now let's get back to doing what we do best....creating!