The Sewing Place

Pattern Printing Help Please

b15erk

Pattern Printing Help Please
« on: November 16, 2020, 14:17:19 PM »
Searched through all my patterns yesterday for a favourite, and couldn't find it anywhere.  :(  I think it's at work, and there is no way I'm going in for a while.

I had stored the .pdf on my PC though  :thumbsup:, so no problem...

Except, it won't print.  :(

Last time I printed it off was on the old Windows system, and since then we have been upgraded to the 21st century.  :thumbsup:

Unfortunately, the .pdf doesn't like the 21st century so won't print my pattern.  :(

Any ideas?  The pattern is showing in full,  but when I try to print, only the top left A4 piece emerges from the printer...

The printing information says that it should be set to 'poster',  but I have no setting for 'poster' on my printer information.  :(

Not holding out much hope here, but any suggestions would be good.  :headbang:

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

StitchinTime

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2020, 14:29:50 PM »
Has the PDF has been set up as a poster size rather than A4? If so, "tile large pages" (or similar) might be the setting that is required.

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2020, 14:38:27 PM »
@StitchinTime , I can't find a Tile feature, and when I follow the Brother instructions to print 'Poster', it just enlarges everything!  :facepalm:

Never mind, it was worth a shot.  :(

Back to the drawing board... :thinking:

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

StitchinTime

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2020, 14:53:04 PM »
What PDF software and what printer do you have?

Gernella

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2020, 14:55:46 PM »
Don't give up @b15erk  There WILL be a way around it somehow, just needs finding, how about looking for new printer drivers, windows should do it for you.  My old Dell works fine apart from I can no longer see the tool for seeing how much ink left.
Stash extension 2024- 6.1 meters
Left at the end of 2023 - 66 meters now (includes fabric found hidden out of sight)  Lining fabric not included

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2020, 15:02:19 PM »
@StitchinTime , I have no idea what PDF software I have - not even sure I have any... I'm a bit of a dunce with the tech side of things.  :facepalm:

@Gernella , I've tried several ways suggested by Brother, but all I'm doing atm, is wasting paper.  :facepalm:

I used to have an HP printer which was far easier than the Brother I'm currently using.

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

StitchinTime

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2020, 15:12:03 PM »
How do you open your PDF file - perhaps it opens automatically in a web browser with the 21st century upgrade.

If this is the case, you might have more control over the printing settings if you can open it in a PDF reader such as Adobe. If the PDF has been set to a paper size larger than A4, the PDF software is more likely to have an appropriate setting than the printer software.

To confuse matters further, I found I got many more print options when I downloaded the printer drivers from Brother rather than let Windows find and install the printer.

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2020, 15:42:30 PM »
Just managed to install more Printer updates from the Brother site, and hoping like you @StitchinTime it will give me more options - what a palaver though!

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

StitchinTime

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2020, 15:50:58 PM »
If that doesn't work and you need a PDF reader, you could try FOXIT or ADOBE.

Once you've installed the software, open it and open your PDF file from there. If you open the PDF file from My Computer or File Explorer, it could still use the original method of viewing it as the file associations might not have been updated.

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2020, 15:58:35 PM »
I'm going to walk away from it for the time being... :S

I re-installed my drivers after much angst, and I'm no better off - except I now have to log-in to everything again... :S

I'll try Adobe when I've been for a lie down... :facepalm:

Thanks @Stitchalot , maybe tomorrow I'll try again... :S

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

Gernella

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2020, 16:24:19 PM »
Walking away is good, @b15erk   I do it often when I'm stuffed, usually coming back gets a result.
Stash extension 2024- 6.1 meters
Left at the end of 2023 - 66 meters now (includes fabric found hidden out of sight)  Lining fabric not included

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #11 on: November 16, 2020, 16:25:41 PM »
Decided to give it one more try, and I've done it!!  :dance: :dance: :dance:

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! @Stitchalot  :hug:

Jessie

Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

StitchinTime

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2020, 16:34:22 PM »
Glad that you've been successful! What was it that worked in the end or was it a combination of everything?

b15erk

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2020, 16:41:23 PM »
@Stitchalot , I think using my one working brain cell helped!

I now have Adobe installed on my machine, and a printed pattern!  :thumbsup:

Now to go and stick it together - it will be sods law to find after I stick it together, that I find the original pattern!  :laughing:

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

mudcat

Re: Pattern Printing Help Please
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2020, 22:49:37 PM »
Printers are frustrating beasts.  Everyone I've ever had as been temperamental.  Last year I bought a Canon laser printer and it defaults to two sided printing which is not what one wants when printing PDF patterns.  Adobe has no setting to switch to one sided.  The printer has a setting and it was changed but ignores it.  I've gone to Canon and Adobe sites and they basically say the other one determines it.  Then I read something that suggested I could do one sided using my word processor software which is the open source LibreOffice but it didn't work.

So now should I ever actually want to print a PDF I have to do it one page at a time.