Enlarging designs using Excel spreadsheet

[Sewdreamy]

If you have a design in digital format (either by downloading or scanning in the design), you can enlarge it by:

1) opening your design image file,
2) copying it (Ctrl+a captures it all; Ctrl+C copies it).
3) Then you open Excel
4) paste it onto a new worksheet (just hit Ctrl+v or Edit then Paste).
5) After you paste it, you can click on it to select it, and Format Picture. This allows you to set the size.
6) THEN, finally, when you print it.

Excel breaks it up into overlappable pieces and you can cut and paste it together. This is how I enlarge all my designs. It's cheap, and it's easy. There is sometimes a slight distortion in the printing, but it's usually not much.

[Libbi]

That worked well. It won't work for all the projects I have in my head but it is a great tip. Since I am attempting a Rhapsody, do you know if you can put freezer paper into a printer? Don't want much do I but wouldn't that be a great time saver?

[Stinki]

Libbi, I have put freezer paper through the printer as a backing for fabric and it worked fine... haven't tried it on its own... sounds like an experiment in the making there!

Carla

[PattiSure]

I put 8 1/1x11 sheets of freezer paper thru my printer to put the BOM designs on and it works great. I usually cut 4-5 pages at a time from the roll and put them under some heavier books to flatten them out a little but I've also fed 1 sheet at a time that was curvy and it works fine.

[PattiSure]

Great tip for using Excel. I hadn't tried this before. I think this will work great for some of my smaller designs and printing right onto freezer paper is a nice time saver. If you don't want to cut your freezer paper to size, they sell it in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets. I think I paid less than $6 for 50 of the heavy duty sheets.

[kmouse]

Thanks so much for this tip! I will definitely give it a try today. As far as printing on freezer paper, I might be leary of using a laser printer but ink-jet would work easily enough.

Where did you purchase the precut freezer paper sheets? Do you remember brand, etc.?

That would be a great timesaver.

kim

[kmouse]

Kim -- I bought them online at softexpressions.com (url below). I buy a lot of supplies from them. Great prices and quick delivery.

http://www.softexpressions.com/softw...ns/frzpapr.htm

Deb

[QuilterLynn]

Wow. I'm going to have to try that one!

[eileenkny]

This looks like a great way to do some designs. Thanks for sharing.
eileenkny

[Sewdreamy]

Please don't print on freezer paper in your laser printer. It will clog everything. If you have an ink jet, though, it works quite well. I do it all the time.

[Libbi]

I have an ink jet rather than a laser printer so the freezer paper won't be a problem. BUT... I am absolutely frustrated with the enlargement using Excel. No matter what I do, I cannot get a square print out of the enlargement. I can actually use the Bernina D+V5 to make Rhapsody designs. I then save them as an image and that image of the quarter is square. The Excel enlargement appears to be square and I size it square, but it doesn't printout square. So until I solve this one, I won't be printing on freezer paper. By the way, freezer paper doesn't seem to exist in Switzerland except for a few precious boxes in some quilt stores. You ladies are sooooooooo lucky!

[PattiSure]

Libbi, your printer may have an enlargement option. I'm at work and not near a printer so unfortunately can't give you a blow by blow but look in your printer options.

[PattiSure]

Libbi-My Lexmark printer came with a program that will print a pic poster size. It will make the "poster" using as many Pages as necessay. It works pretty good.
Sherry

[Sewdreamy]

Libbi, I guess it's the distortion in the printing process of Excel. I have occasionally had distortion, but it never was enough to ruin the project. I don't have a solution for you without being there. It may be how your printer works with excel. Good luck in finding another solution. Cheers, Betty Jo

[Libbi]

Since my time zone is 9 hours ahead of Calif. & 6 ahead of NY, it was time for me to go to bed! For some reason my HP 7100 series printer didn't want to print poster size nor did Photoshop Elements. I was too tired to do the research but I am going to try again! Thanks for your input.