Pattern Maker

Tips on printing

Many customers ask us how they will print their patterns, especially if they have only a desktop printer. It's really quite simple: PatternMaker prints to whatever Windows printer you have installed, just like all your other Windows programs. Printing is normally full-size, so unless you have a large plotter it will take many pages to print your full pattern. PatternMaker handles this automatically.

Printer types

If you are using PatternMaker for a business, is best to use a plotter. Major manufacturers make inkjet plotters up to 36 inches wide for Windows. Home users can use desktop printers, although you may have to tape a lot of pages together. If possible, use a printer with continuous feed--either banner paper.

When choosing printer settings, use the lowest resolution (dpi) and fewest colors that you can. Your patterns will print quicker and be easier to see. Fancy colors and hundreds of dots per inch are great for printing posters and photos, but they aren't needed for sewing patterns.

Rows/Columns:

Each page that you print is optioinally labeled with alignment marks and row/column indicators. Together, they help you assemble your multi-page pattern quickly and easily. The name of the file being printed is also included. The row and column indicators tell you where a particular sheet of paper should be placed in the layout.

The pages are printed in order, left to right and top to bottom (see illustration below), so if you assemble them straight from the printer, you will find that it is an easy task to keep them organized. Align the pages as described below, and tape them together with cellophane tape. Use plenty of tape, and be sure to apply tape at the points where the border of a pattern piece crosses from one page to another. If you are using a continuous-feed printer, select Landscape mode in the Print Setup box to make the rows print out in the right order.

[Pages print left to right, top to bottom]

Aligning Pages:

The alignment marks appear as in the illustration (below left):

Each corner of the page represents one-quarter of a square in version 6 and one quarter of a circle in version 7. Match the corners together with the adjoining pages to form a box or a circle with an "X" inside. Do not overlap the marks; simply match them together. Every four-page intersection should resemble the illustration (above right).

Here's a hint for assembling pages at home: use a picture window or glass door as a light table. By sticking the pages on the window as you align them, you can see through two pages to get the alignment marks together. This is especially important if your printer leaves white margins around each page.