PRINTING HELP

How to print a pumpkin stencil at actual size

Printers like to shrink things to fit the page. A pattern that prints 10% small won't fit the pumpkin you picked, so take one minute to print it at true size.

Choose the right paper file

CarveKin gives you a PDF for US Letter paper and one for A4. Use Letter in the US and Canada, and A4 almost everywhere else. If the pattern is too big for one sheet, the PDF splits it across numbered pages.

Print at 100%

• Computer: in the print dialog, choose "Actual size", "100%", or "Scale: 100". Turn off "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages".
• iPhone: open the PDF, tap Share, then Print. iOS usually prints PDFs at actual size; if your printer app offers scaling, choose 100%, then measure the bar to be sure.
• Android: open the PDF, choose Print, and in the options set the paper size to match your paper. Avoid "Fit to page" if it appears.
• No printer? Email the PDF to yourself and print it at a library or print shop. Ask for 100% scale.

Check the calibration bar

Every page has a bar labeled "This bar must measure 50 mm". Measure it with a ruler: 50 mm is just under 2 inches (1.97 in). If it's off by more than a millimeter, check the scale setting and print again.

Assemble a multi-page pattern

1. Lay the pages out by the row and column printed on each one.
2. Neighboring pages repeat a strip of the design along their shared edge. Trim the margin from one page, lay it over its neighbor, and slide it until the repeated strip and the registration marks line up exactly.
3. Tape along the seam, front and back, then continue with the carving guide.

What size is right?

Measure across your pumpkin's flattest side with a soft tape measure, following the curve, and choose a pattern at least an inch smaller. The size includes the white margin around the design.

Choose Small (130 mm), Medium (180 mm), Large (240 mm), Extra large (300 mm), or a custom size from 120–350 mm. Larger patterns print on several numbered pages that you tape together. The size picker shows the page count before purchase.

Each offered size is checked separately, because printing a pattern bigger or smaller changes how thin the kept pieces are. Don't resize it in the print dialog. You can request another available size for an unlocked design at no extra cost; we remake and check it at that size.