Choosing the best paper for printing A4 sewing patterns at home: paper weight, finish and ink tips, plus how to store and reuse your printed pattern pieces.
Most sewists print A4 patterns on whatever paper is in the printer, and that usually works. But the paper you choose affects how accurately pages feed, how easily you can trace and how long your pattern lasts. This guide explains what to look for in paper for printing A4 sewing patterns, and how to store the results so you can sew the same design again.
A tiled A4 pattern can run to dozens of pages, and every one of them needs to feed straight through the printer and line up with its neighbours. Paper that is too thin may curl or jam; paper that is too thick can be hard to fold and to see through. The right paper makes assembly quicker and the finished pattern more durable.
Paper does not change the scale of a print, so it will not fix a test square that measures wrong. If that is your problem, see our guide on why a sewing pattern prints too small.
Paper weight is given in grams per square metre (gsm):
For most home sewists, a fresh ream of 80 gsm copier paper is the best balance of cost and accuracy.
Choose matte, uncoated paper. Glossy or photo paper is expensive, can smudge and makes tape and pencil marks hard to apply. Matte paper takes pencil, pen and tape easily, which is useful for noting alterations.
Black and white printing is enough for a single-size pattern. Draft or economy mode saves ink but can make fine lines pale, so check that the cutting and stitching lines are still clear. On Digital Creation patterns the solid line is the cutting line and the dashed line is the stitching line, so both need to be visible.
If you print large patterns often, A4 home printing is not the only option. A copy shop can print the full layout on a single large sheet, and a projector lets you cut without paper at all. Every Digital Creation download includes an A0 copy-shop PDF and a projector PDF next to the tiled A4 and US Letter files. Our copy shop printing guide explains how to order a large-format print.
A well-stored pattern saves you printing and taping again:
For made-to-measure patterns, note the body measurements you entered on the envelope. If your measurements change, you can make a new pattern rather than altering an old one. Our guide to taking body measurements for sewing helps you record them consistently.
Yes, as long as it feeds smoothly and the lines print clearly. Check the first page for scale and sharpness before printing the rest.
Standard 80 gsm paper in black and white, printing only the pages that contain the pieces you need. Use the assembly map to find them.
Digital Creation patterns come with tiled A4 and US Letter files, page rulers, test squares and an assembly map, so your printed copy is easy to check and reuse. Create a pattern to your own measurements in the pattern builder, and visit the Pricing page to choose a plan.