Downloaded patterns.

I have a question.
Why are these patterns so terrible on the printer?
I printed out two sets of patterns for my wife, and now I have to buy new ink cartridges because it’s impossible to print them in black and white only. This makes these patterns really expensive, since the ink cartridges cost about 35 euros after just two sets of patterns. And do they always have to be 20–25 pages long????

 I’m really annoyed and am considering whether it might be better to look for another crochet website or switch back to traditional crochet magazines. Those cost between 2 and 5 euros, and I don’t need 20–25 pages of paper—or new color cartridges every 2–3 patterns.

It would be nice to receive a response.


Best regards,
Horst Schramma

I don’t think switching to another crochet website will solve your problem. Patterns are written by individuals, and they all have different views on how much—or how little—should go into a pattern. Some write 60-page patterns, while others write 3-page ones, and I assume that’s the same on all platforms.
When it comes to the length of a pattern, you’ll get as many answers as there are people. If the pattern is kept short, someone will complain that it’s too short; if the pattern is long, other people will think it’s unnecessary. For some, the font is too small; for others, it’s too large. Some would prefer fewer pictures, while others would like to see plenty of them.
To solve the problem with printer ink: could you perhaps copy the text from the PDF and save it in a text file? Also, most printers have a setting that allows you to print in color or black and white.

Hi Horst,

there are several ways to make printing more affordable. First, as you already mentioned, you can print in black and white (you did say that this isn’t possible, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work); second, you can print multiple pages—scaled down—onto a single page, which is also possible with PDFs. Third, for example, I no longer print out patterns at all; instead, I download them to my smartphone and view them there—that way, it costs neither paper nor ink. You can also view the patterns on your computer screen and only print out pages with slightly more complicated sections.
Patterns can only be printer-friendly if they’re short and contain few illustrations; however, this poses a major problem for many beginners or when dealing with more complicated patterns, and it also leads to dissatisfaction.
Do you perhaps have a suggestion on how to design patterns that are both printer-friendly and customer-friendly?

Best regards, Inna

I write my patterns myself, and the photos are on separate pages that can be printed but don’t have to be.

At first, I included detailed photos to go with the text.

Patterns in color can be switched to “black-and-white” printing with any printer and just a few clicks.
If you can’t do that yourself, you’re sure to find someone who can show you how.

Incidentally, we pattern writers also have costs that only pay for themselves after several sales. 

Hello Horst,

I can of course only speak for my own patterns personally, and almost all of them include an additional print version without images. That way, you just print out those specific pages.

However, I have to say that it’s not the patterns’ fault that you can’t switch to black and white. That’s a printer setting.

Some patterns rely heavily on photos because they need to show in great detail (e.g. for beginners) how certain stitches are worked.
However, to be honest, I’m not sure how many or how large the photos in a pattern would have to be to use up an entire printer cartridge after just two patterns.

I understand your frustration, but I’d ask that you not let it lead you to lump all the patterns on CP together and—especially since the level of detail and quality of individual PDF patterns is not comparable to printed patterns in magazines—not to compare them to magazine patterns.

All the best