Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else but after a search all I could find was that someone else had previously asked the question but had no response.
Adding knitting / crochet patterns to my shop has been on my to do list for a while and I’m finally getting around to it. I know that we currently don’t have the facility for digital downloads and will need to email out PDFs of our patterns but I’m wondering how everyone attempt to protect themselves from theft and copying?
Also, does anyone have any advice about any other area of selling patterns that they can share?
Unfortunately I think it’s nigh on impossible to protect any format of pattern from being copied. If someone is really determined they could just retype a hard copy, and there are free PDF-to-Word converters online.
Hi Debbie, I have Sewing patterns and kits in my shop,I don’t do digital just the paper patterns by post. I have added copyright to them but am pretty certain there will be some out there that will use my patterns to make bears to sell and claim they are their own, it’s difficult to monitor especially with teddy bears as they are all pretty similar. I think it’s a gamble we take as designers and just hope the copyright info deters some from doing it.
Thanks Debby, I think you’re right. I’m curious why you don’t make your patterns available as emailable PDFs (if you don’t mind me asking)?
I got my patterns on yesterday at last - always amazes me how long it takes to list anything - most of the afternoon for a few updates to my patterns and getting them loaded!
If I’m honest I don’t really know how to do it Debbie also when I use to buy patterns for cross stitch and knitting I liked to receive the pattern in the post, I have Mary Jane tearooms full collection and the first few i bought are beautifully printed in colour, the later ones that I bought pdf are printed black and white and not the same. The printer I had at the time was so expensive to run I couldn’t print 20 pages of colour pictures on it.
Some old mass produced knitting patterns I have bought online have cost the same price for me to print as they were for the hard copy which I find annoying. I suppose I just like the original pattern, same as books, I would never have a kindle as I like to have the book in my hand. Maybe I’m a bit of a collector
If I did look into it I would add 2 prices in my shop, one cheaper for pdf and the otheŕ more expensive for the paper pattern.
Just quickly looked…your patterns are very reasonable
t’s a big job listing when you have a few to do, I now usually list 2 or 3 items at a time instead of one, i easily spend half a day setting up, photographing, editing and listing for 2 or 3 pieces.,
I completely get that and Mary Jane tearooms patterns are wonderful!
Like you, I love to have physical things (especially the books - as my house full of them will attest - LOL), but when I most often buy other people’s patterns, it’s usually the PDF version for a few reasons:
I’m more likely to want to get a pattern there and then as I only really buy them when I’m bored or in a slump and want a new pattern to do there and then. Of course this is more convenient with a digital download, which we can’t do here…
When it comes to sewing, I love that I can print off the template part as often as I like as they often get ratty when you pin them
If I want a special making experience with all the sensory pleasure of opening a box, I’d buy a kit - or more accurately add it to my gift list for him indoors to buy it for me.
As I was researching patterns here on Folksy I found several people sold them in the two options and charged different amounts for each. I was undecided if I wanted to do that but figured that buying PDF knit patterns is so the norm these days that I didn’t think most people would want the paper version. I think that’s really different for sewing patterns though and it may well be worth your while to do both for yours. I also try to make my electronic patterns as attractive as possible with lots of colour and pictures, but I organise them so you only have to print out the page you want to save paper. Also I personally always print patterns grayscale, which I think a lot of people might do when printing at home.
To make it available digitally, all you need is for someone to convert your Word file (or whatever it is) into a PDF, make sure the printing settings are right so that when it’s printed it’s the right size (I find it super helpful when people add a 1 inch square to their first pattern page so you can check it’s right when you print it off) and then just add password protection to the PDF file so that it can’t be edited. Of course, as we’ve already said, you can’t really protect it that way, but it’s a worthwhile extra step to at least inconvenience thieves a bit
Thank you Debbie for your reply and explaining how to make digital patterns. I never considered there may be people who prefer them so if Folksy introduce this I will add them to my shop. I should try and save your instructions.
My patterns are only black print so would be fine and I could then add them for a fraction of the price for those who want to print themselves.
I always use to print any patterns I bought as downloads as I still like to have that physical piece of paper in my hand to work from, I do have knitting patterns that I have printed at home.
Yours sound lovely with the colour images, I got a bit hooked on mary Janes patterns, havn’t used most of them but I still buy them, a little bit of a collection so I like to have them all, might use them one day…when I retire from bear making.
I don’t think that Folksy will introduce the digital downloads here because if they do, there would have to be some way to collect the VAT due on them and remit it to the government - either Folksy would have to do it or the sellers would individially.
Whilst ever we manually email the patterns out to buyers, there’s no need to collect VAT on the patterns because there is manual intervention in the sale. As soon as a machine automates anything within the transaction and it becomes whilly electronic, VAT has to be collected
Thank you for posting this Debbie (and Debby for responding). Pattern making is on my TDl, and although I’ve stepped back from crafting for a while, I am still keen. Very useful thread.
I have lots of ideas for new patterns and kits as well and really do need to introduce some new ones, it’s just finding the time or putting the time aside to work on designs, maybe I should down tools in January to make one, I agree with Debbie, patterns and kits would go lovely with your items.
