download and printing assistance

Every so often, we hear from someone who purchased a digital pattern but is unable to download the file or print it to scale. If this is the case for you, it's probably due to an issue with your computer or mobile device. Fortunately, it's easy to fix in most cases.

Downloading

If you are using a computer and click on the link but your download does not start, try switching to a different web browser. (For example, if you are using Chrome, try starting the download with Firefox instead.) This takes care of the problem in almost all cases.

If you are using a mobile device and click on the link but your download does not display, it's probably the case that your pattern comes as a .zip file. (Some of the independent designers whose patterns we sell format their products in this way.) Check the page on our website for your pattern. The description toward the bottom of the page begins with a section describing the type of digital pattern this is. If the pattern comes as a .zip file, it will say so here. If that is the case, you will need to download and save the file to a computer in order to open it and extract the individual PDF files. Some mobile devices cannot handle .zip files, and that is why you see a blank screen when you download.

If you are using a computer or mobile device and you begin your download but instead of a pattern you see a screen full of strange text, this indicates that your browser is not configured correctly to recognize and display PDF files. The easiest solution is to try the download link on a different device or in a different browser on the same device.

Printing

If you have downloaded your file, but you find that the test square is not printing to scale, this is probably caused by the fact that you have not printed the file using Adobe Reader. Non-Adobe PDF viewers often have problems printing to scale. To fix this, download a free copy of Adobe Reader and then open and print the file from within that application.