How to Print Quilt Templates on Plastic

Quilt templates can be printed onto plastic transparencies.

Quilters will tell you that their hobby can be an expensive one, as many different tools are needed to create beautiful quilts. One way quilters save money is by printing their own quilting templates. These templates are used to cut out quilt pieces of the exact same size. You can print out templates that you find on the Web onto plastic transparencies by using your own printer.

Things You'll Need

• Transparencies
• Printer manual

Instructions

1. Check your printer's manual for the correct type of plastic transparency to use.

2. Go to your computer and bring up the Web page that has your desired template on it. There should be one template per page or you can highlight one template when there is more than one by double clicking on it and dragging your mouse down its length and releasing the mouse button.

3. Go to "File," then "Print" and click on "Properties."

4. Click on the "Paper Tab" and change the Source option to "Manual Feed." Change the type of paper to "Transparency."

5. Open the printer's external paper feed tray and place the transparencies in the tray. Hit "Print" on your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Your transparencies may print out slightly damp even when you use the correct transparency. Do not pile freshly printed templates on top of each other. Let the templates dry for a few minutes before you use them.

• Laser and ink jet printers use different types of transparencies. Using the wrong type of transparencies can jam your printer or smear the printing.

References

• Oregon State University: How to Print a Transparency

Resources

• Cottage Mills: Piece Previews
• Clotilde: Templates and Graphing Paper