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Making Manuals from Printable Copies

Making Manuals from Printable Copies

Old 12-18-2020, 12:52 PM
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Default Making Manuals from Printable Copies

I am finally finished making manuals for some machines that were missing theirs. Hooray! I also printed a threading chart for one of my Kenmore machines. Since I have been unable to locate a manual (or copy of one) for the JCPenney 6501, I made it a leaflet/booklet consisting of a threading chart, a safety sheet, and a troubleshooting guide.

I always try to find original manuals, but sometimes doing so is a challenge. Then there are the hard copies of originals available for sale which often have pages that read one direction, but flip a different one. No, thank you.

Of the all of the manuals I have put together recently, and others in the past, I only paid to copy one. Unfortunately, each page had the website address of the company from whom I purchased the printing access.

From my experience, the printable copies online range from poor to medium quality because of the following:

1) pages crooked in images (copied tilted)

2) images contorted (copied curved)

3) debris copied in images

4) missing pages

5) images of pages in two directions, different from original

6) print going off pages

7) handwriting on images

8) blurred images

9) manual website-address printed on every page

10) narrow margins every other page

The narrow margins have been very common in the online manuals I have copied. One side of a page is usually okay, and the other has one margin which is too narrow to allow for any sort of binding. To correct this, I make copies of all of those pages, then re-copy these with a margin spacer in place. Using those corrected pages, I print the remaining pages to the reverse sides one-page-at-a-time, in case of printing issues, etc.

Next, I make covers and backs, trim all of the pages with a paper cutter, punch holes with a triple puncher, and tie together each book. So, depending on the quality of the printable online images, making one of these can take several hours. It is worth it. It makes me feel good to reunite these machines with decent manuals and accessories!

Last edited by Sewsation; 03-03-2021 at 04:42 AM.
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Old 12-18-2020, 04:16 PM
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I have printed copies of all my machine manuals. I also save the pdf files on the laptop and a separate hard drive. The printed pages are inserted into the sheet protectors and then into a notebook. Some of the manuals are over 500 + pages. One of my machines had a guide available that cost $125.

The instructions for each specialty foot are printed and in a binder called sewing feet.

I attended a 3 day serger even and have a sample of each activity in the serger notebooks.There is another manual called serger feet. The notebooks are color coded according to my machines. I can easily find what ever I need to look up for reference.
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Old 12-18-2020, 05:55 PM
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Rhonda K, I love how organized you are! Which machines do you have with the 500+ page manuals?

I think my largest manual is around 100 pages. All of my machines are mechanical, some with electronic components, but no computers. Their dates of manufacture range from about 1975 to about 2005. They are all simple by today’s standards. When I do find original manuals, they are usually $10 - $30. I always prefer original manuals and do my best to locate them, even after making copies.
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Old 12-19-2020, 05:21 AM
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Thanks! I love being organized. I have a sewing/embroidery combo machine. There is a manual for each function (approx 230 pages each) plus the designs.

PS: You can buy the copy paper with 3 holes already punched.
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Old 12-19-2020, 06:55 AM
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Rhonda K, you’re welcome! Your machine sounds like a great tool.

The manuals I have made are not binder size. I trim them down to be closer to the size of the original manuals. I have a vintage 3-hole punch with adjustable hole distances, so my three-hole pages are all custom. The smaller manuals can fit in a sealed gallon Ziploc bag for protection when being stored. The machines with these manuals are mainly for guests when I do little home workshops in making tote bags (-not since the pandemic).

Fortunately, I have original manuals for my main machines which are my Bernina 1031, my Bernina 830E Record, and recently, my Bernina 1030. My 1031 was missing its manual when I bought it. I made a copy and kept shopping for an original. My sister liked my Bernina 1031 machine so well, that I found one for her. The seller of that 1031 had two manuals. So, I got an original manual for my 1031 machine as a bonus! An amazing lucky coincidence!
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Old 12-19-2020, 09:02 AM
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I print out manuals for each of the machines that did not come with their own. Once I find one on line or ask around for someone to send me a copy of their own I am in good shape. So now all my machines have manuals. All 14 of them.
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Old 12-19-2020, 05:27 PM
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Sensation: You are a woman after my own heart. My machines are all even older - a FW and a 1967 Stylemate. So what I did was photocopy my originals and use the copies. That way I don’t damage it, lose it, or get oil on my originals. I doubt that I would ever be able to replace the Stylemate.
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Old 12-20-2020, 07:52 AM
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It is amazing to see people share copies of rare manuals here. I am glad to see a common theme of pairing manuals with vintage and antique machines, and of protecting rare originals. I wish I could say I have a manual for every one of my dozen, or so, machines, but I have one machine for which I have not managed to locate a manual, the JCPenney 6501. At this point, I would like to sell that oddball machine (very cheaply), but I have never sold a machine without a manual.

Many years ago, I purchased a four-year-old Pfaff 213 from a dealer. The dealer said the machine came with a manual. It did not. Then, he said he would get one for me. He never did. This was prior to our modern Internet. I used the machine without a manual for over twenty-five years before finding a copy on the Internet. When I sold that great machine less than a year ago, the new owner was pleased to be getting a copy of the manual, along with all of the basic accessories to use with her machine.

I want all of my machines to be completely intact and completely functional with their manuals, all original accessories or good substitutes, replaced cords if the cords have any damage, and a case of some sort. That is my goal with every machine I purchase!
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Old 12-20-2020, 09:29 AM
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I have an original 99K2 manual that's in remarkably good condition for it's age. So I'm looking for a replica (to purchase) for my kid to use instead of the original. If anyone knows where one is available, would be appreciated.
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