@Tiggy PDF patterns usually come with extremely detailed instructions, often including pictures, which only need to be printed, not assembled in any way!
(Style Arc and Lekala/Bootstrap are the exceptions to this.)
I am delighted to be able to have patterns on proper paper rather than tissue, that I can print out as many times as I like. I would rather stick together twenty patterns than trace one from tissue paper (or use it directly). I've got to the point where I don't buy Big 4 patterns unless they are downloadable, apart from occasionally baby patterns, which are a manageable size.
Not all Indie patterns are expensive, either. With most of them you could certainly buy the pattern and have it printed onto A0 by one of the online services for less than the cost of many tissue patterns. You can generally get two A0 sheets printed and delivered for around £6.50, and that might even be two patterns (depending on the pattern and your size!)
Style Arc, of course, do offer nice, printed patterns (onto proper paper). I still tend to print them myself though.