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How to print sewing patterns

Information

  • All our PDF sewing patterns can be printed on a home printer.
  • All the PDF sewing patterns can be printed on either A4 or Letter paper format.
  • You can print in either mode black and white, or with colors.

Before printing

  • Download the pattern file on a computer or a laptop.
  • Do NOT download, open and print from smartphone or tablets. These devices have limited features. Sewing patterns are heavy files and smartphones/tablets will not be capable of opening them.
  • Open pattern files in Adobe Reader application. It is free to download, install and use. The application is available for all major platforms (Windows, Linux and macOS).

Choose the file to print

If you are printing the:

  • Maya Bra pattern: each PDF file your receive via your email has one size only. Be careful what paper format your printer uses: A4 or Letter. Download the appropriate file. Open the file and you are ready to print it. You will be printing the entire file.
  • Other bra patterns with several sizes in one file: if the pattern comes with files that have the “a4-” or the “letter-” prefix in their filenames, you have to select the files that correspond to your paper type you’re using on your printer. If the pattern files have no such prefix, the pattern files work on either type of paper. Once you have selected corresponding files you need to find the file that has the size you need to print.

Setting up printer settings

Not all printers have all the settings I’m going to show you. Not all the settings will have the same label/text, but it should be intuitive to figure them out.
For this printing demonstration, I’m using the Canon MG6400 series – my home color printer. With the right PDF file opened in the Adobe Reader application, select the print command from the File menu located at the top left side of the window. This will bring up the printing options dialog. This is where you will have to look and set up the printing settings.

  • Check the printer that will print your file (in case you have multiple printers installed).
  • Select “All” pages to print all pages, or just the first to check printer settings.
  • Select “Size” for page sizing options.
  • Select “Actual size”! This is the most important settings of all! Some printers do not have this option, instead select “Scale” or “Custom Scale” and set the scale value to 100%.
  • Select “Portrait” as page orientation.
  • Uncheck the “Print on both sides of paper”.

Now, this may not be enough. Every printer may have additional settings. Also, we need to set the format for the print page to A4 and plain paper. Click the “Properties” button.

Depending on your printer options, this window will be different. Mine is like this. There are 4 tabs for my printer settings. You will have to look at the settings I’m going to set on your printer settings.

I’m on the “Quick Setup” tab.

  • Choose “Standard” printing.
  • Uncheck “Duplex” printing.
  • You can choose “gray scale” or “draft” printing to save ink.
  • Chose “Plain paper” and “Standard” quality.
  • Very important: select printer paper size – A4!

Next is the “Page Setup” tab.

  • Make sure: page size is A4 and page orientation is “portrait”.
  • Select “Normal-size”.
  • Very important: uncheck “Automatically reduce large documents that printer cannot output”! This check is not so visible, I barely noticed it, but it is very important. Although, your printer may not have it, so there will be nothing to uncheck.
  • Uncheck “Duplex printing”.

Make sure that you have “Margins” set to 0 (zero).

And that’s it with my printer settings. Hit the “OK” button on the Printer Settings window and “Print” on the last window to print!

Print and check your scale box

First, you will be printing one page to check if the printer prints the pages at the right scale and if the printer settings were set up correctly.

On the Maya bra, the printing scale box is located on page number 2. And that is what you’re going to input in the printer options dialog at the “Pages to print”.

Maya bra pattern printing scale box

INCHES – Be aware

The box has the INCHES value wrong! The 10 cm is correct. But in inches, the box is 3.94“, not 4”

On other patterns, the scale box is located on the first page. You will enter number 1 in the printer options dialog at the “Pages to print”.

Sewing bra pattern printing scale box

To enter the page number, you select instead of “All pages”, the “Pages” switch and activate the box to input the number. Delete current content and input your page number. Then hit print. Grab the freshly printed page from the printer. Lay the page on a flat surface and use a ruler to measure the box.

  • If the numbers on the ruler do not match the numbers written next to the box, you will need to go back and inspect printing settings. You may need to adjust the scaling.
  • If the numbers match you’re all set to print the pattern pieces.

Print the pattern

If you are printing the:

  • Maya Bra pattern: print the entire file.
  • Other bra patterns with several sizes in one file: inspect and note down the pages that have your size. Print pages with your size only.
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