Chinese for Sewing Shops: Asking for a Life-Size Pattern Print
Learn to ask a Chinese print shop for a life-size pattern print: say 原尺寸, 按1:1打印, 不要缩放, and check the result before paying.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
When you sew or craft from a PDF pattern, the print shop's default settings can quietly shrink your pieces. In Chinese you solve this with three ideas: 原尺寸 (actual size), 按1:1打印 (print at 1:1), and 不要缩放 (do not scale). This lesson gives you the exact sentences to say at the counter, plus the questions to ask before the staff presses print. The setting is a small neighborhood print-and-repair strip: one shop prints documents and photos, the next repairs shoes or hem trousers. Staff are used to quick, practical requests, so short clear sentences work best. You will also learn 图案 (pattern), the word for the design you want printed, and how to check the test page so the finished sheet matches your measurements.
By the end, you can…
- ask a print shop to print my pattern at actual size
- say 按1:1打印 and 不要缩放 clearly at the counter
- ask whether the print is the same size as the original
- check a test page before the full print run
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
我想打印这个图案。
I'd like to print this pattern.
wǒ xiǎng dǎyìn zhège tú'àn
Opening request; 图案 means a design or pattern, including a sewing pattern PDF.
请按1:1打印。
Please print it at 1:1.
qǐng àn yī bǐ yī dǎyìn
The key instruction; 按 means according to, so 按1:1 is 'according to 1:1'.
不要缩放。
Don't scale it.
bú yào suōfàng
Use this to stop automatic fitting; 缩放 covers both enlarging and reducing.
这是原尺寸吗？
Is this actual size?
zhè shì yuán chǐcùn ma
Ask while pointing at the test page; 原尺寸 means the original dimensions.
可以放大一点吗？
Could you enlarge it a little?
kěyǐ fàngdà yìdiǎn ma
Use 放大 for enlarge and 缩小 for reduce when you need a different size.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 请按…打印, meaning 'please print according to…'. Fill the slot with the size you need: 请按1:1打印 (please print at 1:1) or 请按原尺寸打印 (please print at actual size). To forbid automatic changes, add 不要缩放 (don't scale). If the result is wrong, adjust with 放大 (enlarge) or 缩小 (reduce): 请放大百分之十 (please enlarge by ten percent), 请缩小一点 (please reduce it a little). Keep the request short and point at the file or test page while you speak.
When to use it
Use 原尺寸 and 按1:1打印 when the pattern must match real measurements, such as a bodice piece or a bag panel. Use 不要缩放 when the shop's software offers 'fit to page', which would silently shrink the pattern. Use 放大 or 缩小 only when you deliberately want a different size, for example 请把这个图案放大一点 (please enlarge this pattern a little). Before the full run, ask 可以先打一张吗？ (Can you print one sheet first?) and check it with a ruler.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你好，我想打印这个图案。
Hello, I'd like to print this pattern.nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng dǎyìn zhège tú'àn好的。要什么尺寸？
Okay. What size do you want?hǎo de. yào shénme chǐcùn请按1:1打印，不要缩放。
Please print at 1:1, don't scale it.qǐng àn yī bǐ yī dǎyìn, bú yào suōfàng可以。先打一张，你检查一下。
Sure. I'll print one sheet first, you can check it.kěyǐ. xiān dǎ yì zhāng, nǐ jiǎnchá yíxiàA little context goes a long way
In small Chinese print shops, staff often work quickly and appreciate a clear, short request. Saying 请 (please) and 谢谢 (thank you) keeps the tone friendly without being formal. If you need to check the size, ask before paying: 可以先打一张吗？ is a normal, polite request. Avoid demanding guarantees about the final result; instead, inspect the test sheet together and confirm 这是原尺寸吗？ before the full run.
One thing to watch for
Saying 不要放大 to mean 'don't scale', which only forbids enlarging and leaves shrinking possible.
Try this instead: Use 不要缩放 to cover both directions. If you only want to prevent shrinking, say 不要缩小; to prevent enlarging, say 不要放大. For a life-size pattern, the safe instruction is 请按1:1打印，不要缩放。
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask the staff to print your pattern at actual size?
Show a sample answer
请按原尺寸打印。
按原尺寸 means 'according to the original size'. 请按1:1打印 is also correct and very common.
2The test page looks smaller than your pattern. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
请放大一点，这是原尺寸吗？
放大 means enlarge; asking 这是原尺寸吗？ checks whether the print matches the original. 请按1:1重新打印 is another valid option.
3You want to stop the shop's software from shrinking the pattern. Which phrase do you use?
Show a sample answer
不要缩放。
缩放 covers both enlarging and reducing, so it blocks automatic fitting. 不要缩小 is narrower and only forbids shrinking.
For a life-size pattern print, say 请按1:1打印，不要缩放, then check the first sheet with 这是原尺寸吗？ before the full run.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Chinese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr