Before You Cut: Print Your PDF Pattern at the Right Scale

Printing is part of making a digital sewing pattern. A file can look perfectly clear on screen and still print at the wrong scale. Before you tape pages together or cut into your fabric, give the first test page a few quiet minutes of attention.

Start with the pattern's own instructions

Read the supplied printing notes and identify the file intended for your printer or print service. Check its required paper size and assembly method. A home-print file, a large-format file and a projector file are not interchangeable simply because they all end in PDF. Only use the formats supplied with your particular purchase.

Find the scale square

Locate the page containing the marked test square or scale check. Print that page first instead of sending the entire document to the printer. Keep the PDF's instructions beside you while choosing the printer settings, and make a note of the page number so you can find it again.

Check the scaling controls

For a pattern intended to print at its original size, a setting such as Actual size or 100% is usually the starting point, subject to the pattern's instructions. In Adobe Acrobat, Actual size prints without scaling. Fit can enlarge or reduce the page to suit the printable area, so it can change a sewing pattern's dimensions.

Actual size does not make an oversized page fit your paper: content outside the printable area may be cropped. Confirm that you have selected the correct file and paper size rather than solving a cropped page by shrinking it.

Measure before you continue

Use a ruler to measure the printed check in the units stated on the page. Check both directions of a square, following the indicated measurement lines. If the dimensions do not match, stop and review the settings. Printing more pages will not correct the scale.

Once the check is correct, print the remaining pages with the same settings. Follow the pattern's trim, overlap and alignment instructions when joining the sheets. Keep page labels and registration marks visible until you have confirmed the assembly order.

Make the check part of your routine

A new printer, a different PDF reader or a changed print dialog can alter a familiar workflow. Save a short note of the settings that worked, but check the scale again for each new project. That small pause is easier than discovering a printing problem after the fabric has been cut.

Need help accessing the file itself? Visit Download Help.

Technical reference: Adobe Acrobat: page sizing and printing options.