[highpowermom]

Rebekahricker, I just had my pattern printed at Staples last week. It was the Field Trip cargo pants pattern, and it printed at 36 x 48. When they opened the PDF file at the store (I brought it on a USB stick), they were able to tell from looking at the page whether it would be 24″ or 48″. Also, they asked if it was black and white or color; the black and white “engineering print” is MUCH cheaper.

Call me a geek, but I loved seeing that pristine pattern sheet with no folds or creases roll off the printer! LOL. The cost of the print was about the same as what I saved on shipping of a paper pattern, plus I know I can print it again so I’m not worried about cutting out the size I want.

[ML]

Hmm…I got the cargo pants pattern recently and went to print it today, and it was 36×75. I got the bigger sizes, though, so maybe that was the difference. The cost was $11.26 total, which is more than I would have paid in shipping, but then it saves me the time of having to trace the pattern pieces, which usually takes me a couple of hours. I guess my time is worth more than $11.26 😉

I haven’t decided which option I prefer, though. If there is a sale on the paper patterns, I’d probably opt for paper.

[ML]

I also printed at Staples, forgot to mention that.

[Pink Zipper]

Bit late to the conversation but I got my bedtime story pattern sheet printed today along with field trip and sandbox. Let’s just say my legs got very wobbly when they told me it was a $113 for the three prints!!! I may have made a slight fool of myself when I blurted out “you’re kidding me!”.

But fortunately the young lady was extremely sympathetic and because she hadn’t yet put it in the “system” she charged me only $7.50 each.( A0 size)

I’ve just gotten home and done a bit more homework on print services in my area. I found SNAP printing (might be in your area Shelley) and they quoted me approximately $10 which I would be happy with.

[Nicole]

Oh my goodness,your poor girl.

I would have died!

I am so pleased the sales lady was a sweetie.

~Nicole~

[Lightning McStitch]

So Pink Zipper, do you have A0 size prints in your hands? Did they work? I asked the question whether A0 was close enough to 36inch and Todd said no. Perhaps there are only some digital patterns which go right to the edge and cause a problem with the slightly narrower A0 size, but I’d hate to think you get a scaled down pattern to fit the paper size!

Imagine if enough digital pattern users lived in one area they could “own” their own roll of 36″ paper at the local print shop. 🙂

[Pink Zipper]

The ones i got printed at officeworks were A0. And yes she sized the print to fit the paper size. And no it did not work. It printed at about 75%.

The ones i got printed elsewhere that nearly cost me an arm and a leg printed on 36in(about 914mm) wide sheet/roll. But they are very long. The field trip one is 1.9m!

The thing with the officeworks printing. I’m not sure if they are printing on rolls of paper that are 1189mm(46in) wide or 841mm (33in) wide. If it is printing on the 1189mm wide sheet, my theory is why can’t the image be printed “longways” to make it fit without shrinking it. It will have big borders top and bottom but the length will fit.

I plan to get a set done next week with SNAP printing. I will let you know how I go.

Also, you probably know this already, but when you open the PDF file with the pattern sheet, down the bottom of the window, it will give a dimension to the sheet. Makes it easier when you are getting quotes from printing services.

[Pink Zipper]

O yes nicole, I was so very lucky. I felt my whole sewing budget being swallowed up in one gulp.

I feel like sending her a box of chocolates!

[Sarvi]

I ran into the same thing — I was quoted some ludicrous price and more or less laughed in her face. I got mine printed at a professional draughtsman’s print shop in the more expensive part of town (to save on making two trips) and they varied from about $7 – 8 each. If they are quoting you very much more than that then they’re doing the wrong kind of print. Keep looking/asking until you find a person and shop that understand what you want!

[with love Heidi]

Bumped, as there were questions on digital pattern printing.

[Todd Gibson]

Since this has been bumped, let me add some information about the large sheet included with our digital patterns.

In the US and Europe, most standard large-format printers (like the kind used for architectural and engineering prints) are 36″ wide and print from a roll of paper–not from sheets. They will print anything up to 36″ wide by whatever the length is (up to about six feet, I believe) and then cut the sheet of paper from the roll at the end of the print job.

We produce our large pattern sheets for these types of printers because most print shops (like Staples and Kinkos) have one. The large sheets are formatted to be exactly 36″ wide by however long they need to be to incorporate all the pattern pieces (and no longer because we know that many print shops charge by the inch!). If you can find a local print shop that has one of these machines and gives you a good price for printing, you’ll be in luck.

A few things to note (some of which have been mentioned in this thread) about printing these sheets:

• Always make sure to tell the shop that you have a 36″-wide sheet and that it needs to be printed at 100% with no scaling. If they scale it down and you cut and sew from the pattern, the sizing will be way off in the finished garment.
• If you’re in Australia, do not send these to a shop that is using A0 sheets of paper. They will scale it down to fit it on the 33″ wide sheet. (You may get lucky if it’s a short pattern sheet. They could rotate it 90 degrees and print it the other way on the sheet, but then you’re limited to a 33″ long printout. I wouldn’t suggest having someone do this unless you really know what you–and they–are doing.)
• Always ask for a quote before you have them do the job. Make sure to tell them it’s a black and white print (many places charge much more for color than for black and white). Each shop sets its own pricing. We’ve heard from some customers who pay $2.00 per print out and from others who have been quoted prices that approach $100 per print out.
• If you can’t find a local shop that can print at 36″ wide and at a reasonable price, you can always print the smaller pieces and tile them. It’s not so bad to do that, really.

[Sarvi]

Definitely ask around, because when I talked to people at what looked like exactly the right kind of print shop, the clerk basically tried to make me a poster – on poster paper. This would not have been as nice to work with, because slippery, and of course there’s the crazy price. I think it’s really worth it, those nice thick unfolded prints lay so well for tracing.

[pippi]

So I just bought a non O+S digital pattern and after having to tape together like 16 sheets of paper I just realized how much easier the O+S digital patterns are to use! It’s so great that so many small pieces are on their own sheets of paper so that taping is only needed for large pieces! That really makes it so much easier. And the grids make it so easy to line those up. Those extra efforts are really appreciated!

[Lightning McStitch]

I’m having real trouble with my first Oliver+S digital pattern purchase….

I have the Woodland Stroll Cape pattern and am trying to print it at home

(having already worked out, via this thread that I can’t get it printed in Australia unless I pay a fortune at an art print shop)

I have turned off every possible scaling option for the printer yet the test square is printing at 15/16ths of an inch.

So, while that’s very close to 1″ it isn’t, is it.

It’s driving me nuts. I’m sure for a cape this is not going to be a sizing issue, but it just shouldn’t be a problem, and it would certainly be an issue for a smaller kid’s pattern.

I’m printing on A4 paper which the pattern suggests is feasible. We simply don’t have 8.5×11″ paper, nor will my printer happily give me that option.

Help please….

I also can’t see anywhere on the large pattern piece the dimensions. Where is this? I’d like to know if it could be squeezed sideways onto two large sheets at the print shop (that won’t stock 36″ paper)

[Nicole]

S,Hugo prints mine but I will ask him as soon as he gets home.

He is at an Ag meeting so it won’t be for an hour or so.

I hope we can help.