Printing – tutorials

This Maven Patterns page provides troubleshooting tips and tutorials for printing PDF sewing patterns at home. It explains key settings, such as using Adobe Reader, ensuring correct scale, and managing file formats for optimal results. The guide also includes advice on resolving printer issues and accessing A0 copy shop files for professional printing.

HOW TO PRINT PDF SEWING PATTERNS 

Learn how to print and assemble a PDF sewing pattern at home with our easy and straight forward guide. The full photo tutorial can be found here!

PRINTING YOUR PDF PATTERN AT HOME: A  QUICK TROUBLESHOOTER GUIDE

• For patterns numbered 1-7: THE PRINT-AT-HOME PATTERN (prints on A4 or US letter paper) IS COMBINED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS. You will find a list of page numbers in the instructions so you can just print the pages you choose to save ink and paper.
• Patterns numbered 8 and higher: The print-at-home pattern is now a separate file to the instructions, so you will need to download 3 or 4 files.
• We include an A0 file with each PDF pattern for printing at a copy shop on a wide format printer.
  If you are only seeing 2 pages to print at home, you’ve most likely opened this A0 COPY SHOP file by mistake and you need to open and print from the file that is included with the Maker Instructions. (Or the separate print-at-home file for patterns numbered 8 and above).
• If you’re using a Mac and your pattern is opening in ‘Preview’, reopen in the latest version of Adobe Reader. FREE FROM HERE.
• Download the file to your computer. Give your pattern time to download completely. Save it somewhere safe that you can find on your computer. Be sure to print from the SAVED version. Printing a pattern that is open from your internet browser can often cause the pattern to not print out correctly.
• The Adobe ‘layers’ feature is only available on the desktop version of Adobe Reader, not on the App version.

CHECK THE PRINTER SETTINGS:

• ‘Actual Size/Scale 100% should be TICKED
• Make sure:  ‘Choose paper source by PDF page size’ is UN-TICKED.
• Still not printing OK? Click ‘ADVANCED PRINTER SETTINGS’ then click “PRINT AS IMAGE”
• It is important to use the latest version of Adobe Reader and also make sure your printer is set to print on Auto portrait/landscape.
• If you are using Apple mobiles that might be the problem. They won’t download and open a pdf file without a pdf app installed.
• This is a link to our printing tutorial (includes photos of print settings)
  https://mavenpatterns.co.uk/how-to-print-and-tile-a-pdf-sewing-pattern/
• If you still have a printing issue; it’s time to check your printer drivers are up to date

Click below to follow the links to our in-depth photo tutorials