As packaged sewing patterns from the big 4 companies go the way of floppy disks and fax machines, many sewists are buying PDF patterns online and downloading them to their personal computers. Then things get a bit tricky: how to print out the large PDF patterns on a small home printer? The workaround of course is to tape the pages together – a tedious process that takes precious time away from actual sewing.

Enterprising fabric and craft shops have stepped in to assist their customers by offering printing services for these large format print jobs. Initial investment costs for the printers are high but recouping the expenses can be quick, making it a wise investment. In addition to generating revenue, printing services can be a great way to gain customer loyalty as well as increase foot traffic.

Things to Consider

Large format printers commonly used for printing sewing patterns are referred to as plotter printers or A0 printers, named after the standard A0 paper size measuring 33.1 inches wide x 46.8 inches long (84.1 cm x 118.9 cm). HP, Canon and Epson lead the list of brands offering quality large format printers.

Cost

No doubt the first consideration for shop owners is the cost to buy or rent a printer. Good quality printers average around $2,000 – $2,500. Renting a printer is also an option with plans starting around $100/month and going up from there.

Ongoing costs associated with the printers include paper, ink and maintenance.  For Maggy Schneider, co-founder and owner of Sewing Lounge in St. Paul, Minnesota, paper and ink are their main expenses and occasional maintenance. “About once a year I’ll call in a technician to go over it and do some cleaning. While paper prices have remained pretty stable, ink costs are increasing.”

Pricing

By carefully pricing your printing services, you may be able to offset the cost of your printer and turn a profit in a relatively short time. For Madee Weisner, owner of Open Studio Sewing in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, pricing her printing service at $5 per page was the sweet spot.

“I am close to recouping the initial cost for the printer after about six months from the PDF printing orders.”

Similarly, Katie Blattner, owner of Three Little Birds Sewing in Hyattsville, MD, started to generate a profit within just four months of buying her printer.

For Maggy at Sewing Lounge, pricing wasn’t so straightforward. She initially charged $3 per page, and in time the printer paid for itself and generated a small profit. “I’m doing this as a service for my customers so I wanted to keep the cost to consumers low.” But after two other local fabric stores added printing services at a higher price point, $5 per page, Maggy was inundated with printing requests by people just looking for the cheapest price, not necessarily her wide array of sewing products and services. Maggy reflects, “I can’t say I blame them but I could have printed for 7 hours straight every day. Since I don’t want to be a copy shop, I decided to raise my prices so they were the same as the other shops, hoping business would spread around.”

Services

Another thing to consider is whether you’ll offer shipping for the print outs or in-person pick up, or both. Open Studio and Three Little Birds offer in-store pick up as well as shipping. Madee from Open Studio says, “I take online orders and I also allow people to come in and I can print patterns for them on the spot. I’ve been able to help a lot of people who are new to using PDF patterns learn how it works.”

Alternatively, Maggy at Sewing Lounge offers her printing services for in-store pickup only, allowing her more time to focus on her shop and her customers, otherwise the high demand would mean that she’d be printing all day.

Space

For a small shop, finding space to house the printer can be a challenge. The footprint of large format printers averages about 52 inches long by 36 inches high. Although they are quite long, their depth is only about 24 inches which means they can be tucked away against a wall, in a corner or a closet.

Madee from Open Studio found a creative way to incorporate her printer into her space. 

“My shop is one large room (with no storage), so I paid a little extra for a better-looking model because I knew it would be visible at all times! It sits up against a wall and doesn’t take up too much space, and I even display retail items on top of it.”

For Maggy at Sewing Lounge, her HP DesignJet T630 printer fits nicely in her shop. Katie at Three Little Birds purchased the HP DesignJet T650 which she stores in a small office in her shop.

Ease of use

Generally, the large format printers are not difficult to operate. Madee at Open Studio says, “My printer is easy to operate and rarely gives me any issues.” Maggy at Sewing Lounge echoes that sentiment, “Operating and maintenance are pretty easy. However, paper jams, if not removed carefully, can get the encoder strip dirty and then I have to call in a technician.”

Although the printers are easy to use, things inevitably go wrong, like paper jams or ink problems – or even lightning strikes! For Maggy at Sewing Lounge, she would never in a million years think that her printer would get struck by lightning…but it did. The way she tells it, the surge protector did not protect the printer because that wasn’t the path of the lightning. Instead she says, “it went through an air duct, arced over to a lamp and up the ethernet cord, which must have been touching the lamp base.” According to Maggy, “The printer was fried and I had to get a new one. Luckily insurance came through. All I could do was laugh. I mean, what are the chances of being struck by lightning inside a building?”

Copyright Issues

Copyright laws protecting sewing pattern designers are similar to those pertaining to musicians and authors. Their work cannot be copied or shared without permission. With PDF patterns, the line is blurred between a purchased pattern and a copy.

According to some shop owners, it can be difficult to enforce. Katie at Three Birds and Maggy at Sewing Lounge try their best to check for copyrights. According to Maggy, “We need to do all we can to protect the amazing pattern designers who are putting their efforts out in the world. Also, after a customer has picked up their patterns I delete the files from my computer.”

Satisfied Customers

For Madee at Open Studio, the investment was well worth it.

“I am very glad I invested in the PDF printer when I opened my shop! It’s a valuable service for customers, it’s easy to use, and it has helped bring new people into the store.”

Katie from Three Little Birds agrees. “People are so grateful when they find out it’s a service we offer. We teach a lot of classes, so it’s great to be able to print patterns for companies that only have PDF patterns or if we run out of a pattern and someone wants to purchase the PDF version.”

A large format printer requires a big investment but it may be something to consider if your shop caters to makers who are regular users of PDF patterns. By providing printing services, customers can rely on a trusted, local source for all their sewing needs.