How to print PDF sewing patterns at the right size
A PDF sewing pattern only works if it prints at exactly the right size. A pattern scaled down by 3% looks fine on the table, but around a 40 in hip that’s well over an inch of missing ease. This guide covers both ways to print a pattern, the one print setting that matters most, and how to check your pages before you cut into fabric.
Copy shop file or print-at-home file?
Most PDF patterns, including every Patterns by Nini pattern, come as two kinds of file:
- Copy shop (large format) file. The pieces are laid out on big sheets: 36 × 48 in in the US and Canada, or A0 (841 × 1189 mm) in the UK, Europe, Australia and most other countries. You send the file to a print shop and get sheets back ready to cut. No taping.
- Print-at-home file. The same pieces are split across US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) or A4 pages. You print them yourself, trim one margin of each page and tape the pages together.
For long pieces, such as the legs of a jumpsuit or wide-leg pants, the copy shop file saves a lot of time. A pant leg can run well past 40 in, which is a long column of taped pages.
Printing at a copy shop
Copy shops print large-format files on the wide plotters they use for architectural drawings and posters. FedEx Office and Staples in the US, and most independent print shops everywhere, can do it. Ask for:
- Engineering or plan prints on plain bond paper, not poster or photo paper. It’s cheaper and lighter, and easy to pin or trace.
- Black and white, unless the pattern instructions say color matters.
- Printed at 100%, actual size, no scaling. Say it out loud and write it on the order. Shops often scale files to fit their paper by default.
- The right file for their paper: the 36 × 48 in file in North America, the A0 file elsewhere.
There are also online pattern-printing services that take your PDF and mail the sheets to you rolled in a tube, which is handy if your local shop isn’t used to sewing patterns.
Printing at home
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) rather than a web browser, because browsers often scale pages without telling you. Then:
- Open the print dialog and find the scaling or page sizing option.
- Choose Actual size or 100%. Turn off “Fit”, “Shrink oversized pages” and “Scale to fit”.
- Make sure the paper size matches the file: Letter for the Letter file, A4 for the A4 file.
- Print only the page with the test square and measure it before printing the rest.
- Once the square is right, print all the pages.
Then assemble them. Trim or fold away the margin on one edge of each page, line up the marks in the corners with the next page and tape along the join. Work row by row, following the page map that comes with the pattern.
Check the test square before you cut
Every good PDF pattern includes a test square, usually 2 × 2 in, 1 × 1 in or 10 × 10 cm. Patterns by Nini files have both an inch and a centimeter square. Measure with a ruler, not a tape measure:
| Your 2 in square measures | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in by 2 in | Printed correctly | Carry on |
| About 1 15/16 in | Scaled down by “Fit to page” | Reprint at 100% / Actual size |
| Right one way, wrong the other | Printer stretching the page | Try another printer or a copy shop |
A sixteenth of an inch matters. If a 2 in square is 1/16 in short, every piece is about 3% too small, which takes more than an inch of ease out of a 40 in hip.
Cutting out the printed pattern
Most PDF patterns include seam allowances. That means you cut on the outermost line and stitch along the dashed line inside it. Check the instructions to be sure: some patterns, especially vintage-style ones, don’t include them.
- Trace your size onto pattern paper or tracing paper if you might want another size later.
- Mark the notches and dots with small snips or a chalk mark. They’re how the pieces line up when you sew.
- Keep the grainline arrow parallel to the selvage when you lay pieces on the fabric.
Quick checklist
- Right file: copy shop (36 × 48 in or A0) or home (Letter or A4)
- Scale set to 100% / Actual size, opened in Acrobat Reader
- Test square measured before printing everything
- Cut on the cutting line if seam allowance is included
- Notches marked, grainline parallel to the selvage
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my printed sewing pattern come out too small?
- The print dialog was almost certainly left on 'Fit to page', 'Shrink oversized pages' or 'Scale to fit'. Those settings shrink the whole pattern by a few percent. Choose 'Actual size' or set the scale to 100%, print the test square again and measure it before printing the rest.
- What size paper does a copy shop sewing pattern use?
- In the US and Canada, copy shop files are usually laid out on 36 × 48 in sheets (some patterns use 36 in wide rolls of any length). Everywhere else the standard is A0, which is 841 × 1189 mm, about 33.1 × 46.8 in. Send the shop the file made for its paper.
- Can I print a copy shop file on my home printer?
- Not as one sheet. Use the print-at-home file instead: the same pieces split across Letter or A4 pages, which you trim, line up with the marks in the corners and tape together. It takes longer but gives exactly the same pattern.
- Do I need to print sewing patterns in color?
- Usually not. Cutting lines, stitching lines and notches are drawn with different line styles, so black and white works. Print in color only if the instructions say the sizes are color-coded and you are cutting a size in the middle of a nested range.